Don't Ever Look Back
by ST3PH3Nii3
Summary: Kokawa Junko wasn't an average Shinigami; she was forced into that life when she was just a child. Being surrounded by death and Hollow attacks, she built walls to protect herself. However, what happens when those walls are forced down by someone with a similar life?
1. Character Profile

**Personal Information** :

[小川 • 純子]

Name: Kokawa Junko

→ Kokawa means "small river." This was her Otou-San's surname.

→ Junko means "genuine/pure child."

→ Prefers to just be called Jun.

Birthday: September 7th

→ It's the National Neither Rain Nor Snow Day.

Age: 15

→ Ichigo, Chad, Orihime, and Uryu are all 15, too.

→ I personally think fifteen is a bit too young, but I'll stick with the original ages. After all, most of them turn sixteen not too far into the story.

Height: 5'0''

→ Ichigo is 5'9''; Rukia is 4'8 ½'' so they're close to the same height.

Weight: 87 lbs.

Blood Type: O

→ Traits of an O blood type: trendsetter, loyal, passionate, self-confident, independent, ambitious, vain, and jealous.

→ This came from the Japanese blood type personality theory.

 **Appearance** :

Hair Color: Naturally a deep, coal black. However, Jun has dyed the under layer of her layered hair a bright, ruby red which pops against the dark black. Sometimes, in the right lighting, her deep black hair has a bluish tint to it.

Hair Length: Her hair brushes the tips of her shoulders.

Hair Style: Jun keeps her hair stick straight and tends to tease it a bit to make it fuller. Her hair has layers cut into it, easily exposing the red underneath the black. Her bangs are also feathered, and begin at her eyebrow and are layered down. Usually Jun wears her bangs parted to the right, almost covering her right eye. Jun will occasionally toss her hair up in a messy ponytail or bun.

Eyes: Jun has bright, icy blue colored eyes.

Body: Needless to say, Jun is very petite; which is expected when you are barely five feet tall. However, for her size, she is pretty fit and in shape. Jun has a normal bust, somewhere around a C. Her waist is thin, and she does have curvy hips. Another thing is that she has pretty good calf muscles, which make it hard for her to find skinny jeans that actually fit in the legs. Jun is also very fond of piercings. Each of her ears is pierced four times each, and she has a small stud in her nose. Also, Jun has a tattoo; which is mainly hidden. It's of the Shinigami skull mixed with some tribal markings. It's located on her lower back.

Clothing: Jun's style can easily be referred to as a soft-punk type. She loves pairing black with bright colors. Also, she usually wears skinny jeans with holes torn in them. Her favorite shoes are converse or flats. Each of her outfits will be described throughout the story. However, readers are free to picture her in whatever, as long as it truly fits her style.

→ Shihakusho: This is here because Jun has a rather customized Shinigami uniform. Jun began to change it a few months after graduation from the Academy, until she was satisfied. Currently her Shihakusho consists of just a large top, making it into a dress like Nemu. She wears the traditional sash, but hers is longer than normal and tied into a big bow on the left side. Her top is also loosened a bit, but nowhere near as much as Matsumoto's. Instead of the white tabi socks, Jun wears thigh high black and red striped stockings to help bring out the red in her hair. She has a white strip of cloth tied around her upper left arm; a bandana that she had managed to steal from Renji. She keeps it there to taunt him that he wasn't fast enough to catch her and get it back.

 **Personality** :

Behavior: Junko can be very free spirited; she won't hesitate to state her opinion on a matter, no matter how trivial it may be. She usually doesn't think before she speaks, so she ends up blurting out what she truly thinks. Besides being blunt, Junko is also very sarcastic. Not many people get her sense of humor, either. However, she hides her true feelings deep inside with a so called "tough-girl" act. Jun will do anything for her friends, if she deems the person worthy of being a friend.

Likes: Storms, watching clouds, music, and painting.

Dislikes: Cold weather, illnesses, the term "Quincy."

Good Traits: Mentally strong, determined, doesn't give up easily, caring towards friends.

Bad Traits: Bottles true emotions inside, might take out anger on others, takes a while to gain her trust, has quite a temper.

 **Status** :

Race: Substitute Shinigami

Occupation: Member of the 13th Division; later High School Student

Affiliation: Soul Society, Gotei 13, Urahara Shoten

 **Powers and Abilities** :

Swordsmanship: Swordsmanship is one of Junko's weakest areas. Of course, she has mastered her Shikai. However, she isn't that great at actual sword fighting while in sealed states. She doesn't have that much physical strength, which is why she lacks proper swordsmanship skills. Junko does practice with her sword every chance she gets.

Shunpo User: Junko relies on Shunpo a lot in many of her battles. She is quick, and Shunpo gives her a speed advantage. Because she has an excellent grasp on her reiatsu, she was able to master Shunpo almost effortlessly.

Hakuda User: Hakuda is better known as hand to hand combat. Junko is a master at hand to hand combat, and it's primarily what she relies on.

→ Later on, after training with Yoruichi, Junko masters a rare form of Hakuda that she developed by herself. Others may use it, but they have to have excellent control of their spiritual pressure; the control must come as natural as breathing. While fighting, Jun will focus her reiatsu to her extremities [i.e. her hands, elbow, feet, and knee] and land a direct hit. With the reiatsu focused, the hit is greatly amplified. Just punching the ground can cause a wide crack in the earth to appear.

Spiritual Power: Junko has an excellent grasp on her spiritual power. She can easily manipulate and control it, making her great with Kido spells.

Tactician: After seeing an attack three times, Junko can formulate a plan against it. She has been getting better at forming plans spur of the moment, but she just needs experience. Usually, Junko can stay steps ahead of an opponent if she concentrates properly and doesn't let her mind wonder during a fight.

Durability: Jun also has a good sense of durability. It is said that the greater your amount of spiritual pressure, the more durable you are. Junko can take quite a few hits and keep on fighting, mainly because of her stubborn personality and refusal to give up.

 **Zanpakuto** :

Name: Ankoku-Tatsu

→ "Ankoku" means "Shadow," while "Tatsu" means "Dragon."

Spirit: Ankoku-Tatsu manifests in two primary forms; her dragon state and a humanoid state. In her dragon state, she is a long light gray dragon with black and red stripes. These stripes form what looks like a ribcage, as well as randomly continuing down her tail. However, most would classify her as looking more centipede like than dragon like. This is mainly because she has six short legs with golden claws. She also has golden armor to protect her neck, which resemble her golden claws. Her face is protected with what looks like a helmet that comes to four points at the top. Ankoku-Tatsu's eyes can clearly be seen, and they are a deep red. Her wings are dark and wispy like shadows, and they constantly seem to be morphing to different shapes. On the tips of the wings are red spikes. In her humanoid form, her hair is long and golden, while her clothing looks like a tight body suit with the same design as her dragon appearance. She wears a golden crown to match her helmet, as well.

Sealed State: In her sealed state, Ankoku-Tatsu is a bit shorter than other katana's. This is to compensate for Junko's shortness. The sword is proportional to Jun's height. In its sealed state, the sheath is black. The guard is shaped like a triangle, and is golden in color. Dark red cloth is wrapped around the handle. A small black silk ribbon is tied at the base of the handle and above the guard.

Shikai: "Sorera no ue ni kagekyasuto, Ankoku-Tatsu!" which translates to; "Cast your shadow over them, Ankoku-Tatsu!"

→ Shikai Appearance: Once called from its sealed state, the silver of the blade slowly seems to be covered with black from the surrounding shadows. The golden hilt also seems to melt to a deep, crimson red. A long and tattered red ribbon hangs from the tip of the handle, which is also black.

→ Shikai Special Abilities:

• "Sousa!" which translates to "Manipulate!": Junko can take control over the shadows that her opponent casts. In turn, she can control their movements if she chooses. However, most of the time she forces them into a state when they cannot move from their spot, and then takes victory over the battle.

• "Kage Hikikaeru!" which translates to "Reverse Shadow!": This creates what many people call a black hole, which can absorb an oncoming attack. In reality, however, it's really just a rip in space and sends the attack to Ankoku-Tatsu's world. Once in the world, it quickly decomposes.

• "Iyasu Tatsu!" which translates to "Dragon Healing!": Junko can channel her spiritual pressure though Ankoku-Tatsu and heal even deadly wounds. However, the downside to this is that it consumes most of her spiritual energy.

Bankai: Junko focuses on her reiatsu, holding her blade pointing towards the earth, she says; "Bankai, Chisei Ankoku!" which translates to "Shadow Reign."

→ Bankai Appearance: Released from the Shikai state, Ankoku-Tatsu slowly starts to burn away; almost like smoke, the black of the blade rises into the surrounding air. It begins to swirl around Junko and her opponent, also around their eyes to momentarily block their vision. Once the area has changed, the opponent can see again. However, they are no longer in the same area they once were; they were transported to Ankoku-Tatsu's inner world, which you call the broken world. In her world, there is no ground. Instead, there are floating broken pathways. However, gravity is much different in her world, getting stronger and weaker in different places. Directions are also different, as the whole world may shift directions depending on if you step on a certain area. It's very dark there, but the pathways are a glowing blue.

→ Bankai Abilities:

• Increased control of shadows: Like in Ankoku-Tatsu's Shikai state, Junko can control the opponent's shadow. However, she has much more control over the shadow than she did before. Now, it's possible for her to control their every moment, separate from hers. An example is that she usually has them throw their Zanpakuto behind them, and make them charge towards her. She grabs one of the many crystal swords floating in the air to impale them.

• "Kage Kubi Shibari!" which translates to "Shadow Neck Bind!": Junko can make the shadows actually turn themselves into matter. While doing so, the shadow crawls up the opponent's body and forms a shape of a claw. The claw then tightens around their neck, effectively suffocating them or snapping their hyoid bone.

• "Kage Nui!" which translates to "Shadow Sewing!": Like the ability listed above, the shadows materialize again. However, they form many sharp threads. These threads are capable of either wrapping around an opponent or piercing their flesh to anchor them down.

 **History** :

Junko was orphaned at a young age; both of her parents being killed by a Hollow. Both tried protecting her, but failed. However, right when she was about to be eaten, her father used all of the spiritual power that he had left in one last attack; not only did he kill the Hollow, but he himself died from using up too much reiatsu.

The authorities found her all alone and decided they had to act. The rest of her family didn't want her, so she was sent to an orphanage. There she was quickly adopted by a family. However, Hollows would not stop targeting her, often killing her foster parents. She went through foster parents after foster parents, until it was difficult for anybody else to adopt her. The other kids spoke about her behind her back, even to her face. They said that she was cursed. Everyone would see her talk to thin air when she was actually talking to departed souls, and they called her crazy. Junko would also draw vivid images of the Hollows that she had seen, and they worried about her mental health.

Luckily, a new family adopted her when she had just turned ten. An entire year passed by without any interference from Hollows, and she thought that it was finally safe; however, disaster then struck. Another Hollow attacked, killing both foster parents again. This time, it headed towards her. Just in the nick of time, Urahara Kiskue showed up and slew the Hollow. Junko was a blubbering mess, so he took her back to his shop. Not too long after that, he decided to train her to become a Shinigami.

Junko had little trouble finding her inner Shinigami powers, and easily made contact with her Zanpakuto, who had been sending her dreams for quite a while before then. Urahara trained her, but decided it was best for her to get a proper education. He worked out a way for her to go to the Soul Society.

The Soul Society accepted her and placed her in the Shino Academy. Normally the curriculum is spread over six years in order for someone to graduate into the Gotei 13. However, Junko finished an accelerated program in only four years. Recently, she has graduated and was placed in the 13th Division under the Captaincy of Ukitake Jushiro. Junko is an unseated officer, because she is still among the living. They view her as a Substitute Shinigami because of this, so she isn't truly a full-fledged Shinigami.

 **Relationships** :

→ Urahara Kiskue: Junko views Urahara as her "sensei" or teacher. He was the first one to tell and educate her about her spiritual powers. She trusts him with her life, and she would hope that he trusted her as well. If he asked something of her, she wouldn't hesitate to comply; after all, he did save her life. He was there for her when others weren't. He was her shoulder to cry on when she was sad. So, in some way, she considers him a father figure that she had been missing for quite some time.

→ Shihoin Yoruichi: Junko knows of Yoruichi, seeing as how Yoruichi helped Urahara train her for a bit when she was younger. They aren't as close, but she does trust Yoruichi. Junko was taught the basics of Shunpo from her, as well as some basic fighting moves.

→ Hanakari Jinta & Tsumugiya Ururu: Jinta and Ururu are like little siblings to Junko. They both were orphaned like she was, as well as the fact that they were pulled into the crazy world of Shinigami and Spiritual Powers like she was. Junko won't hesitate to pick on Jinta, because she thinks he deserves it for picking on Ururu. Ururu is like a sweet little sister who idolizes and looks up to her.

→ Kuchiki Rukia: Rukia was Junko's first true friend that she's ever made. When she was younger, she had no friends at all; they were all scared of her or disliked her for her weirdness. However, Rukia wasn't afraid. Rukia didn't even really mind her weirdness. It was difficult getting her to open up, but they became close friends after that. Rukia tells Jun everything and vice versa. They met while Jun was still in the Academy, and Rukia would help her whenever she needed it. Both were happy to find out that they were members of the same squad. Since then, they've been best friends.

→ Abarai Renji: Renji met Junko through Rukia. They're friends, but they don't often get to spend time with each other. Jun loved his tattoos, and showed off her own a bit after that. Although, they first connected through talking about his tattoos and her piercings. That and the fact that Jun had just dyed the bottom layer of her hair ruby red, just like his. Renji would also help teach her some tips for sword fighting, since that's his area of expertise.

→ Ukitake Jushiro: Ukitake is Junko's Taicho. Jun loves being in the 13th Division; it's really quite peaceful and has a family like environment. They accept almost anyone into their squad with open arms, and Jun wasn't an exception to this. She really looks up to him, and would do anything for her Taicho. She knows that he gets sick very easily, so she tries to do her best to help out whenever help is needed. Jun also will not stand for anyone to badmouth her Taicho or raise their sword at him.

→ Kurosaki Ichigo: Junko didn't know Ichigo until she returns to the World of the Living to try and locate Rukia once she's gone missing. At first, she cannot stand him; however, that changes throughout the whole story. They eventually bond, and become closer and closer. As if you couldn't tell from the title of this story.

 **Trivia** :

Theme Song: "Animals" by Neon Trees.

Notable Characteristics: Junko is best spotted by her hair and her piercings. That's who people know her as; the dyed and pierced girl. She is also well known for her eyes, seeing as how not too many people have bright, glowing icy blue eyes. She also has black eyeliner rimming her eyes, complete with dark smoky eye shadow. She only wears that and foundation; the foundation is for covering up the bags that she has under her eyes from being an insomniac.

Hobbies: Painting, drawing, and writing song lyrics.

Favorite Foods: Anything sweet. She really hates spicy foods.

Favorite Saying: "If you want to protect something with all your heart, you must use your fists."

Wishes to Fight: No one in particular. Especially not Kenpachi.


	2. Chapter One

• • •

It felt nice to actually have some free time around here. There were no missions; I wasn't a seated officer so I didn't have any paperwork to complete, so all was well.

So, for now I was bidding my time. I was supposed to be meeting Rukia in a couple of minutes, so I decided I would just arrive early and wait. Because of that, I was seated near a beautiful pond with koi fish that was in the back of our division's headquarters. I was sitting against a nice tall maple tree, overlooking the calmness of the backyard.

"Junko-San..?"

Blinking, I looked around for the person that uttered my name. My bright blue orbs landed on the white haired, sickly Taicho of my division: Ukitake Jushiro.

"Ukitake-Taicho! What are you doing up and out of bed? Aren't you supposed to be recuperating from your last attack?" I asked, lightly standing up so I was next to my Taicho. I know it's bad to talk to a Taicho like that, but Ukitake-Taicho was more lenient than the others.

"Ah, I'm feeling much better now, Kokawa-San. Thank you for your concern." Ukitake said, gently smiling at me. I could feel my cheeks lightly heat up; I wasn't good around people showing kindness. That, and the fact that Ukitake-Taicho was a well-known charmer.

"I'm glad that you are feeling better, Ukitake-Taicho." I replied, smiling up at my Taicho as well.

Ukitake nodded and smiled, before sitting down and patting the space next to him. I slowly sat down next to him, turning my waiting gaze towards his. He was looking out at the koi pond with a serene expression on his face. "You seem to have been waiting for someone."

"Yes, I was waiting for Rukia. She was supposed to be meeting me soon. Actually, I think that she's running late for once. This isn't normal for her."

"I know. Kuchiki-San was sent on a mission to the World of the Living a few days ago. We haven't had any word from her since then." Ukitake spoke, turning his deep brown gaze on me. "You know Kuchiki-San better than most of us do. Do you think that she might be in trouble?"

"I don't know." I murmured, my gaze darting back to the pond as I sat in thought. "Rukia is more than capable of exterminating a few Hollows in the World of the Living. There shouldn't be a problem there. But… I do remember her telling me that she was patrolling that area and her senses felt…stopped up? That's not quite the right word, but it was something to that effect. She had trouble sensing things. Do you think that she's injured and can't contact the Soul Society?"

"I'm not sure, Kokawa-San." Ukitake softly spoke, a sad look on his features. He was close to everyone in his division, and he hated to think badly of them. "I would hope not. However, we can send someone to check things out. Research has looked, and they've had a difficult time trying to pinpoint her reiatsu."  
"That must mean that she's in a difficult bind." I spoke, lightly sighing. "Rukia, what did you get yourself into this time?"

Ukitake lightly chuckled at my statement.

"Ah! Ukitake-Taicho, do you think they'd consider sending me to go to the World of the Living to search for her? After all, I do know her pretty well; I can probably scout out areas where she would more than likely be hiding if she were in trouble."

"You know, that's not too bad of an idea." Ukitake mused, his eyes lit up at the idea. "You're just a Substitute Shinigami; you're still among the living. Your body is still in that world, is it not?"

"Yes, it is. I have someone that I trust looking after it, so I know that it's been in good hands. I'm pretty sure that I'm the most up to date on the trends in the World of the Living, so I wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb like anyone else." I said, trying to convince my Taicho to consider letting me go and get Rukia.

"Well, that does make sense. It all sounds good to me. However, the final decision isn't mine to make. It's up to the Sotaicho to decide. I can take this to him and tell him that I agree with it and think that it's a wonderful idea. You have my trust, Kokawa-San." Ukitake said, with a serene smile on his face.

"Thank you so much, Ukitake-Taicho!" I almost screamed. I was sure that I was almost literally beaming with excitement right about now. It made me feel good to know that I had my Taicho's trust; it felt like an honor. And if the Sotaicho accepted me for this mission, which meant that he had some faith in me as well.

"It's no problem, Kokawa-San. You are a member of my division." Ukitake spoke as he placed one of his large hands on top of my head and gently teased my already slightly teased hair.

"Ukitake-Taicho~!" I whined, as I tried to flatten my hair down a little once he was done, earning a laugh from him.

"Now, if you would excuse me." He spoke, as he stood up. "I'm off to go see the Sotaicho and explain our little situation to him. I'm sure he'll understand. Word will be sent to you shortly by a jigokucho once they have reached a decision."

"I understand. I hope to hear from you soon, Ukitake-Taicho!"

• • •

"Ah, this waiting is driving me crazy~!" I exclaimed to myself as I lightly tugged on the strands of my hair. About half an hour, if not more, had passed since Ukitake-Taicho had left to ask for permission for my mission. Still, I had received no word. No jigokucho had visited.

 _"_ _Calm down, Jun."_ I heard the echoing voice of my Zanpakuto's spirit, Ankoku-Tatsu, speak. _"_ _There is nothing you can do but wait. Getting worked up will be of no help now."_

I sighed again, weakly shaking my head. "I know, Ankoku-Tatsu. It's just… I can't help but feel like I should be doing something; you know what I mean?" I murmured, lightly resting the blade across my lap as I stared down at it in frustration.

 _"_ _I know that you care about Rukia, and you have to do what's best for her. Getting worked up now won't solve anything."_ She spoke, and I could almost picture the caring look that would be burning in her deep red eyes _. "Rukia is your best friend, I understand. But you just have to be patient."_

"Patience…" I scoffed. "That's the one thing I lack; I'm not hundreds of years old like all of the other souls and Shinigami are. I just can't be patient. I am still human after all."

I rose to my feet once more and took up pacing back and forth again. I had started that not even ten minutes after Ukitake-Taicho had left. I was just too nervous and excited to sit still. I sighed in frustration as I looked at the position of the sun in the sky again.

"Jun-Kun~!"

"Huh?" I asked, looking around for the sound of the scream. Before I knew it, I was tackled to the ground by a small plink blob.

It wasn't just a pink blob, though. She was known as Kusajishi Yachiru, the Fukutaicho of the 11th Division. How she got that position, I have to wonder. I've never seen her fight, but if she hangs onto Kenpachi and gets away with calling him "Ken-Chan" then she has to be strong.

"Yachiru-Fukutaicho?" I questioned, looking at the small child wearily. "Was there something that you wanted?"

"Aw, Jun-Kun~! Haven't I told you that you don't have to be so formal! You can just call me whatever you want; just not 'Yachiru-Fukutaicho'!"

"Hehe, I'm sorry. It must have slipped my mind." I said, lightly scratching the back of my head. Truth was, I didn't forget at all. I usually don't use formalities or honorifics, unless it is towards a Taicho or Fukutaicho. I even use honorifics with the Noble families as well, like whenever Rukia takes me to the Kuchiki Manor.

"Alright, so what are you going to call me?" Yachiru asked, a huge smile plastered on her face, "And it has to be cute!"

"Um… Let's see." I thought, "It has to be cute…and a nickname…so… How about Chiru-Chan?"

"Ah! Jun-Kun is good at making up nicknames too!" Yachiru happily exclaimed as she tackled me into another hug. "No wonder you're so fun to hang around!"

Yachiru did tend to hang around me and I couldn't help but notice that she had been around more frequently lately. We did kind of get along. We both enjoyed sweets, so of course we'd hit it off.

"We're gonna have another tea party at the Kuchiki Manor for the Josei Shinigami Kyokai [Shinigami Women's Association]! I was wondering if you wanted to go with me to steal all of the sweets again! We can split them evenly this time; I promise I won't eat them all!" Yachiru compromised, as she tugged on my sleeve. Truthfully, she had dragged me along the first time; I hadn't even really wanted to go. Who would willingly join a group of plotting women?

Somehow, and I don't know how, she had overseen tunnels built in the Kuchiki house. As far as I know, Byakuya hasn't even figured it out yet. However, if he did, Yachiru made countless tunnels, so he would probably have a hard time trying to close them all.

"As tempting as that sounds, I'll have to pass."

"Aw, why?"

"I'm waiting on word to see if I've been given a mission." I said, not sure if Yachiru was aware about the whole situation. I didn't want to drag anyone else into it if I could help it. The more people that knew, the more trouble it would cause. After all, Rukia was now a Kuchiki; Kuchiki's were a Noble family and everyone looked up to them. If Rukia was in trouble, it could cause several problems for the family.

"Well, I don't see how it's that important. I mean, won't a jigokucho just find you wherever you are? That's its job: to sense your reiatsu, find you, and deliver the message." She reasoned, being as stubborn as ever.

"I can't argue with you there, Chiru-Chan." I sighed, being sure to use her new 'nickname'. "But, I want to be able to leave as soon as I can. Since that's the case, I don't think that it would be smart to be all the way across the Soul Society and have to come back to get ready."

"Aw! But it just won't be as much fun without you there, Jun-Kun!" Yachiru whined, as she glomped my leg. "No one else understands how amazing sweets are!"

"That might be true, but think about it this way: if I don't go, then that means you get all of the sweets. You wouldn't have to share."

"Bye bye, Jun-Kun~!" Yachiru smiled as she waved and took off; I guess my words really had made up her mind. I couldn't help but let the chuckles that I had been holding in go.

 _"_ _You seem to be in a better mood,"_ Ankoku-Tatsu observed, her voice sounding pleased. _"_ _You know, I like you much better when you're happier. My world is much lighter; the gravity doesn't feel as constricting."_

"I'm sorry, Ankoku-Tatsu. I don't mean to wreak havoc on your inner world. It's just… sometimes it's hard for me to get control of my emotions. I know that I'll always have you with me, so I don't feel as depressed as I used to. I'm never going to be truly alone again." I murmured to her, lightly smiling.

 _"_ _That's right; I will never leave you, Jun. After all, we are one."_

"Yes, that's right; two in the same."

 _"_ _Jun, a jigokucho is approaching."_ Ankoku-Tatsu warned, her voice sounded alert. She could sense its presence nearby.

I nodded my head, as I stood up once more. My eyes scanned the scenery, looking for any trace of the beautiful black and dark red butterfly. I couldn't contain the smile that spread across my face as it entered my line of vision; I could tell that it was coming from the direction of the other divisions, so that it was quite possibly from the 1st Division to me regarding details of the mission.

I knew Ankoku-Tatsu and I were correct when it continued to lazily beat its wings and fly towards me.

I gently extended my hand, letting the butterfly lightly land on the tip of my pointer finger.

 _"_ _~This is a message regarding Kokawa Junko. Kokawa Junko has been approved by the Sotaicho to go to the World of the Living and locate Kuchiki Rukia. The target is to be found, and then promptly returned for questioning. Repeat, the target is to be found, and then returned for questioning. Kokawa Junko is expected to depart for the World of the Living at sunrise tomorrow. Do not be late.~"_

Once its message was delivered, the jigokucho gently flapped it wings twice before taking off and returning to wherever it was supposed to go.

 _"_ _You're not shouting out in joy?"_ Ankoku-Tatsu questioned as my silence ensued after the jigokucho flew away.

"Hehe, sorry; I should be shouting, shouldn't I?" I murmured as I placed my hand on Ankoku-Tatsu as she rested on my hip. "I was just too busy thinking about that message. 'The target is to be found, and then promptly returned for questioning.' What do you think that means?"

 _"_ _They're most likely worried about what caused her disappearance and lack of contact with the Soul Society. They are more than likely considering the worst case scenario."_ Ankoku-Tatsu thought, trying to find an answer to my question _. "They'll probably try to make sure that Rukia did not betray them."_

"Rukia would never betray the Soul Society." I argued, a light frown on my face. "That's not like her, not like her at all. She truly cares about the Soul Society; after all, she is a member of the Gotei Thirteen. It's her job to protect them, not betray them."

I took a deep breath, staring at the setting sun. Its dying rays of light were being reflected on the pond, creating a heartwarming sunset.

"Rukia, just wait for me; please don't do anything drastic. I'll be there for you soon, just try and wait for a few more hours. It's my turn to return the favor that you've done for me countless times. I'll help you clear your name."

• • •


	3. Chapter Two

• • •

Running as fast as I could, not because I had to, I could make out the light at the end of the tunnel. Now I knew where that expression came from; the creator must have been running through the Dangai.

Of course, with my luck, the subordinate Shinigami in charge of the jigokucho had let them all fly away and hadn't been able to retrieve any of them when it was my time to leave. That's why I had opted to take the Dangai to the Human World; I didn't want to wait for them to actually gather the butterflies again. But, even with the Dangai's defenses deactivated for my passage, it still wasn't a walk in the park. It felt like it went on forever!

However, I did reach the light at the end of the Dangai. As I ran through it, I found myself in the city known as Karakura Town.

Again, with my luck, I found out that the specs of the Dangai were off, dumping me out in the sky about thirty feet from the ground. I couldn't hold back the squeak of surprise as I began to fall, but I did manage to use my reiatsu to catch my footing in the air. Sighing at the close call, I instantly took to running on the thin air.

This was my town, however I didn't remember much of it. I was small when I had lived here with my parents. And I was still young when they were killed when they fought off a Hollow. I had moved from city to city, town to town, many times after that. That is, until I wound up here again. That's when my life was changed forever.

As I was running, I observed my surroundings. People were scurrying around, fancily dressed in business suits and ties, probably trying to get to work on time. Venders were on the street side trying to sell their goods and merchandise. Even without my brain thinking it, my feet found a familiar pathway, taking me to the old store that was more often closed than it was open: Urahara Shoten.

In fact, it wasn't even really a store for humans in the first place. Of course he did have stuff to sell to keep up appearances, if a curious human decided to stop by. Urahara Shoten was more adept in providing illegal goods to other souls; things that the Soul Society usually wouldn't permit.

Coming to a halt in front of the small shoten, I couldn't help but smile. This place brought back many memories; most of them being some of the greatest ones that I've ever experienced in my life. I took a few steps towards the door before a rather large sign caught my attention:

We're closed at the moment!

Please come back later~!

I felt my left eye begin to twitch at the sight. Did they really draw a _heart_ underneath all of the words, too?! Although, that did seem to suit them… With another roll of my eyes, I drew my fist back and pounded on the door. Five quick, strong strokes in succession.

"Urahara!" I called out, frustrated that I didn't get a reply. Again, I pounded on the door; however, this time it was harder, faster. I had to make it clear that I wasn't going to go away. No matter how early it was, I was going to be successful in making them open the door.

"Oi! What part of 'we're closed' don't you understand?!" I heard a voice yell from behind the sliding door. They sounded aggravated that they had to be up this early; and I remembered who owned that voice.

Hanakari Jinta.

A few more seconds past, and the door remained unopened. I could feel my eye begin twitching again, probably from aggravation and a spiked heart rate. I pounded on the door once more, yelling: "Hanakari Jinta; it'd be in your best interest if you opened up this door right now! Or so help you, you'll be dead!"

Not even a split second after I finished yelling my rant, the sliding door was thrown open, and a small figure engulfed me in a tight hug. He was much shorter than me, probably about a foot or so, which kind of made it awkward.

"My, my; aren't you awfully affectionate this morning? Or did my yelling finally get through to you?" I asked, rolling my eyes as I pet the top of his red head. When he still didn't let go I took the palm of my hand, jammed it between his forehead and my body, and forcefully shoved him off. "Alright you parasite! Let me get in so I can get back into my body, at least."

"Hey, I'm not a parasite! I just don't want you hitting me anytime soon. It's better to be on your good side!" Jinta informed, as he entered the shoten once more, me following behind him. I slid the sliding door shut behind me, and then I felt another pair of arms circle around me.

"Aw, I missed you too, Ururu!" I exclaimed, lighting hugging the dark haired girl back. If anything, I saw her as a little sister; after all, we did have the same dark black colored hair. She was always so sweet and soft spoken, just like I was when I was small. "It's nice to see you again."

"I missed you, Jun-Chan." Ururu softy replied, lifting her head up so that I could see her shining eyes. I lightly sighed; I just hoped that she wouldn't burst into tears. I wasn't great with kids in general and crying kids were much worse.

"Well, well, well~." Another familiar voice chimed, "It looks like our little Substitute Shinigami came back alive after all!"

Urahara hadn't changed at all; he still had the same shaggy blond locks, striped bucket hat that tended to shadow his gray eyes, and traditional clothing. Fan included.

"Hey, you better watch those 'little' comments. I've grown a bit since I left; I now stand right at five feet~!" I proudly stated, but then pursed my lips. "But what did you expect? It sounds like you expected for me to become Hollow chow by now."

"Hehe, you're correct! I did expect that~!"

"Urahara!" I exclaimed, my eyes widening before narrowing in anger.

"I kid, I kid." He mused, lightly waving that stupid fan around. He then took a seat at the table, where it looked like he had occupied before; there was a cup of tea in front of him. "So, what brings you back down here? I hardly expect that the Soul Society would let you freely roam around."  
"Actually, I'm on a mission." I explained, as I sat down on the cushion directly in front of Urahara. "I'm here to locate and detain Kuchiki Rukia. My Taicho had a few strings pulled and they chose me to come. After all, I am still a human. You can't beat sending a human to the Human World instead of a regular Shinigami." I lightly chuckled, before shaking my head. "However, I do hope that it takes a bit of time to find her. I mean, I missed this place more than I had realized. I don't know if I could leave again so easily."

"Your body is still in excellent working condition." Urahara stated, still in his somewhat goofy demeanor. "And, since the shoten is a bit crowded, I'll let you stay in a spare apartment that I have in town. You might have to move some of my research material out of it though… Actually, I'll have Jinta and Ururu do that later." With a motion of his hand, my body walked into the room.

"A gikongan?" I asked, looking at my body. My eyes lightly traveled across it, from the tip of the hair to its striped sock covered feet. Whatever had inhabited my body must have been informed on my style of dressing because it was dressed exactly how I would have.

"It's actually a kaizo konpaku, but you were close enough." Urahara stated. I stepped into my body, feeling myself re-anchor into it once more. It felt completely different; my limbs felt heavier, and I felt more…solid. Which, I guess would be right. I was no longer in soul form, made up of reishi. I was back in my real body. It just felt so right, so normal. Which was something that I hadn't felt in years. However, I felt the pill form of the kaizo konpaku in my mouth, so I reached in and withdrew the lime green sphere shaped pill.

"You'll want to keep that. It'll help when you need to leave your body to fight off Hollows or search for your missing person." Urahara informed me with a smirk on his face. "And you'll need to hurry up. You don't have much time left!"

"Time for what?"

My question was left unanswered, as Urahara stood up and walked out of the room. I was about to follow him, when I heard Jinta mumble, "Man, I'm gonna miss having that kaizo konpaku around. She did all the work…"

Eye twitching yet again, I forcefully smacked the back of his head. He stumbled forwards a bit from the force of the blow, which was still quite powerful even when I was in human form.

"Hey! What was that for?!" He cried, clutching the back of his head in pain. As if I'd let him play the little innocent boy act; he was anything by innocent.

"That was for being lazy and making that poor konpaku do all of the work while you slacked off! And using my body, too! You're lucky I'm in a good mood, or that hit would be returned tenfold." I threated, as I menacingly popped my knuckles to further scare the kid. I narrowed my now icy blue eyes, "Now what do you have to say?"

"S-sorry!" He stuttered out, his own eyes widening. He had probably forgotten how scary I could be; which I know is bad of me. I shouldn't scare little kids, but he deserved it!

"Okay, you're sorry. So what? I mean, how are you going to act now?"

"I-I'll do the chores… I-I-I won't be lazy a-anymore!"

"Good." I nodded, crossing my arms. "Because, if you continue to just be lazy like you are now you'll eventually turn out to be like Urahara. And I'm sure you wouldn't want that."

"Hey, now look who's dealing out low blows." Urahara whined as he re-entered the room. "Besides, I went through all of the trouble of getting off of my lazy butt to go and find the key for you!"

"Alright, I'll admit it; you did do that." I said, as I eyed the key in his hand.

"Yep~! Now, I'll have Jinta and Ururu move all of your stuff into the apartment today. And they'll move my stuff out of it and into your old room here!"

"Why are you having little kids doing your work? I'll just do it myself; it'll probably be quicker that way, too." I reasoned, lightly sighing.

"Now, now, you can't do that. You're going to be busy all day today!"

I blinked in confusion. Why did Urahara always have to speak in coded language; he was always so confusing. Why couldn't he just come straight out and actually say what he meant?

"Wow, that's a pretty confused look you have on your face." Urahara noted as he laughed. "I meant that you would be busy because I'm not going to let your education suffer while you're here. After all, I am your guardian. You're newly enrolled in Karakura High, because I had a feeling that you'd be coming back soon."

With a mischievous grin, Urahara pulled an outfit on a hanger from behind his back. On the hanger was, I'm assuming, the school's uniform.

Now, it wasn't that bad. I mean, it was pretty dull looking; after all, it was a gray color. It did have red on it, which I was happy with. The top was designed like a jacket, and it had a front pocket outlined in red at the top, and another on the opposite side near the bottom. A plain white collared shirt was under it, with a red ribbon around the collar. It was possibly supposed to be tied like a bowtie. Now, the only problem that I had with the uniform was the skirt; it was quite short.

"Shesh! How is that supposed to cover anything?!" I cried out in alarm, as I jerked my finger towards the small skirt. I glared at the scant amount of material, shaking my head from side to side.

"This is your new school uniform." Urahara spoke with a wide grin. He had done it on purpose! He knew that I'd freak out about the skirt! "You better hurry up and change! School will be staring soon! You don't wanna be late on your first day~!"

Scowling, I snatched the hanger from his hand. I figured I might as well go along with his plans, whatever they might be, for now. If there was one thing that I knew about Urahara, it was that he was a master schemer. He knew what he was doing. So, for now, I'd play along. Humor him for a bit.

• • •

"Hey! Hey! You're one of the new students, aren't you?!"

I forced my eyes shut and sighed in annoyance. No, I didn't recognize the voice. However it was very loud, especially for so early in the morning. Besides, I think it was quite obvious that I was a new student; I mean, I think I stuck out pretty bad.

First off, my hair probably gained attention. I mean, it was unnatural; nobody has both red and black hair. The owner of the voice probably hadn't seen me from the front, so he probably didn't see any of my piercings yet. And I was also wearing red and gray striped thigh high stockings, in hopes that it would at least cover some of the skin that was exposed by the short skirt; although, it didn't accomplish that much. I also think that I was the only student to be wearing black low-rise converse shoes. So, all in all, I was pretty sure that I could easily be identified as the 'new student'.

I took a deep breath, hoping to calm my anger, before I forced a smile on my face and turned around to face the owner of that annoying voice. "Yes. I'm the new student. Who would you be?"

The owner of the voice did belong to a guy, as I had correctly identified. He was quite a bit taller than I was, but then again, that didn't mean much. His hair was slightly longer than most guys would have, as it was slightly wavy and almost touched the top of his shoulders. His hair was almost a neutral brown, one that seemed to blend in.

"Ah, let me introduce myself to the lovely new student~!" He exclaimed, as a smile stretched across his lips. His cheeks were tinted a light pink color, as he reached out and grabbed one of my small hands and placed it in-between his two larger ones. "I'm Asano Keigo! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Um," I began, getting a little freaked out by the huge grin that was still plastered across his face, "I'm Kokawa Junko. You can just call me Jun, though. That's what most people tend to call me."

"What a beautiful name! It fits you perfectly; a beautiful name for a beautiful girl!" Keigo exclaimed once more, lightly tugging me closer to him. He still had a death grip on my poor hand. I didn't know what to do in this situation; I don't think that it would be wise to drop kick him. That would probably draw too much negative attention. Although, it might get me kicked out of school!

Keigo spoke again, drawing my attention from my thoughts to him once more, "Let me see your schedule! You might be in my class!"

His brown eyes darted down to the copy of my class schedule that was clutched in the hand that he wasn't holding, and he immediately released my left hand and made a grab for the paper. I was thankful that he had released my hand, but the unpleasant throbbing caused me to lose my focus on my grip on the paper. Keigo easily pulled it from my grip, leaving me glaring at him and rubbing my now sore hand. Of course, he didn't see the glare because he was too busy looking at my schedule.

"You have amazing luck, Jun-Chan!" Keigo exclaimed with a huge smile on his face, "We have our first four classes of the day together! Isn't that wonderful?"

In a flash, I had yanked my schedule from his hands. Smoothing out the wrinkles on the piece of paper, I sweetly smiled. "Yes, that is wonderful. Would you mind showing me to class, then?"

"Of course! That's the least I could do! I'll also introduce you to all of the good people!" He exclaimed, quickly moving his large hands to grip around my slender upper arm. Keigo then proceeded to…skip?... off towards class, leaving me almost running to catch up with his longer stride.

"Welcome to Class 1-3!"


	4. Chapter Three

• • •

"Welcome to Class 1-3!"

Class wasn't that much different than what I had imagined. I guess school was school, no matter where it was. Desks were lined up in perfect rows, facing the front of the classroom where there was a dry erase board. What I assumed was the teacher's desk was up front as well. Groups of students were randomly placed, some circled around desks. They appeared to be killing time by chatting until the teacher showed up.

"Thank you for showing me the way." I spoke, turning towards my over-excited helper. Man, I just hoped that everyone wasn't like him. If I could only be so lucky…

"It was my pleasure!" Keigo excitedly spoke, throwing his arms around me in a huge hug.

"Keigo! Who have you trapped this time?!"

I blinked in surprise at the female voice that yelled from somewhere in the classroom. I didn't recognize the voice, but that was to be expected. After all, I don't think that I knew anyone in this town; with maybe a couple of exceptions.

Keigo immediately released me, cowering against the wall of the classroom as my gaze landed on the female who had yelled at him. She did seem kind of intimidating, but not enough for him to be cowering against a wall in fear. Then again, from what I have learned about Keigo in my few minutes of knowing him, is that he tended to over-exaggerate everything.

The female was exactly my height; however she had a thinner, more athletic build to her. She wasn't as curvy as I was. Her hair was cut short, it spiked out at the sides, and was a deep black color. This gave her a somewhat tomboyish appearance.

"Tatsuki-Chan!" Keigo exclaimed, only for him to falter under her dark gaze. "I-I was j-just sh-showing the n-new s-s-student to c-class!"

I decided to speak up, not wanting him to get into too much trouble. After all, he had been kind enough to show me the way. If he didn't, I'd probably still be wandering the halls, looking for this class. "It's quite alright; he really did show me the way here. Nothing else."

"Oh," The female blinked, taking in my appearance for a few seconds before a grin split across her face. I was thankful that it wasn't as scary as Keigo's grin had been. "Hey there! I'm Arisawa Tatsuki. Nice to meet you."

Tatsuki placed her hands on her hips, and lightly tilted her head in my direction in greeting. I smirked a bit, crossing my arms across my chest and returning the quick head tilting. I could tell that I would get along nicely with her. "Kokawa Junko. You can call me Jun, though."

"Hm, do you by any chance participate in karate?" Tatsuki asked as her dark brown eyes traveled over my appearance. Sure, I might be curvy in the appropriate places, but I was still somewhat muscular.

"When I was younger I took tons of karate classes. I was also enrolled in kendo classes, but I preferred karate better. I moved around a lot after that, so I never really took it up again." I explained. Making new friends didn't seem like it would be that difficult. "Let me guess, are you a member of this school's karate team?"

"Bingo! You're smarter than you look," Tatsuki spoke with a chuckle. "Yeah, I am. I'm also one of the best on the team. I can also speak for them and say that we wouldn't mind it if you joined; I think you would be good addition."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I have to decline for now. At least until I settle down here a bit more. Maybe next year?" I asked with a small chuckle, "But you'll have to tell me when you compete again. I wouldn't mind watching. It sounds like it'd be a good match."

Tatsuki smiled. "Thanks, that'd be cool." I nodded along with a small smile, and then took another look around the classroom. "So, come with me and I'll introduce you to one of my other friends. Come on!"

Grabbing onto my arm in yet another tight vice grip, I was drug towards a desk near a window.

"Orihime, I have someone I want you to meet. She's the new student that transferred over." Tatsuki explained, as she came to a halt in front of one of the desks and released her grip on my arm. She gestured behind her towards me with her thumb, causing me to lightly blink as she smiled at the girl in front of her.

"Hey, I'm Kokawa Junko. You can just call me Jun, though." I spoke, flicking my wrist side to side once in a small wave.

"It's nice to meet you, Jun-San." The girl spoke with a pure smile. She was just a bit taller than me and Tatsuki, probably by an inch or so. She was also really busty. Her hair was long and reached more than halfway down her back. It was also a really pretty reddish orange color. Happily, the girl returned my wave with much more enthusiasm. "I'm Inoue Orihime!"

"It's nice to meet you, too." I responded, smiling as well.

"So," Tatsuki asked, as she decided to begin a new conversation. She made herself comfortable by sitting on top of the nearest desk. "Why did you transfer during this part of the year?"

"Oh." I lightly spoke, lightly biting my bottom lip. I had to come up with some form of lie; I couldn't exactly tell them that I was here on a mission from the Soul Society to find a Shinigami that had gone missing. I'm pretty sure that would have gone over well: not! "Well, my dad had to move because he received a better job offer here, in Karakura Town. But this is where we originally lived. I was born here, after all. It's nice to be back here again; even if my memory of this town is a little foggy."

I smiled a bit, hoping that they wouldn't be able to see through my lie. I had to work in some part of the truth, so I wouldn't be seen through so easily. Although, mentioning my dead parents still got to me. I could literally feel my heart wrench inside of me, and I had to force my eyes not to tear up. It would definitely not be good to have a mental breakdown in front of two people I just met.

"Do you have any other siblings?" Orihime asked, curious.

"Nope. I'm just an only child." I informed, not minding the slew of questions that I was sure were to come.

"Why do you have so many piercings?" Tatsuki bluntly asked. It didn't seem like she cared if she was too forward or blunt.

I laughed at her forwardness, not minding it at all. "Actually, each of these piercings has a story behind it. I get them for people that I trust with my life. It would take too long to tell you about all of those different people and stories." I explained, mentally adding that she wouldn't understand more than half of them anyway.

"Well, I think they're cool!" Orihime exclaimed, placing a hand on her hip. It was as if she thought that statement made things official; like it had just gotten her seal of approval. "I've always wanted piercings! But, I always chickened out in the end."

Orihime pouted, earning laughs from both Tatsuki and I.

"Orihime-San," I spoke through the laughs, "I don't quite picture you as a person with piercings."

Tatsuki nodded, smiling as well. "I agree with Jun. Orihime, that means no running off and trying to get something pierced!"

Orihime pouted again, as if she were a child whose plan had been caught and foiled. "Aw! But they look so cool and sparkly!" She explained, as her eyes sparkled a bit before dramatically dulling and becoming unfocused.

"Um, Orihime..?" I asked, confused for the poor girl.

"Don't worry about her. She daydreams a lot. It's quite normal."

I shot Tatsuki a skeptical glance, about to ask how she figured that randomly spacing out like that was normal, when I was interrupted by Keigo's annoyingly loud voice. "Another new student!"

His words caught my attention, as my eyes quickly darted around the room, looking for him and the other new student.

However, it wasn't just any new transfer student.

It was the person that I was looking for: Kuchiki Rukia.

I couldn't help but release the breath that I hadn't known that I had been holding. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. She was alright; she wasn't dead! But-!

How could Keigo and the other students see her? They didn't have high enough levels of spiritual energy, at least, not from what I could sense. If that were the case, then she must have been in a gigai; otherwise known as an artificial body. Her powers felt so faint…like they were barely there. If she had truly lost her powers, then how come she didn't return to the Soul Society? She could have at least sent them a message.

This was all so confusing.

"Jun?!" Rukia asked, her own violet eyes widening in shock.

"You know Jun-Chan already?" Keigo asked, surprised as well.

"Well, duh." I said, nonchalantly waving my hand beside my head. "Rukia and I are best friends. We both lived in the same town, but I didn't know that she'd be moving to Karakura Town, too. She just told me that she was moving." I quickly turned towards Rukia, winking at her. Hopefully she'd understand that it meant to play along.

"Ah, but that would have taken all the fun out of it, Jun-Kun~!" Rukia spoke, giggling. Her voice sounded more different than it usually did, almost fake. Maybe that was her acting voice..? If it was, she desperately needed some pointers. She was even using honorifics, which she rarely used back in the Soul Society. We were alike in that manner; we only added honorifics to those with higher status, like nobles, Taicho's, and Fukutaicho's.

"See, you're no fair, Rukia." I spoke, mock glaring at her. "Besides, you never told me when you were leaving and say bye before you left!"

"I'm sorry. I know I should have, but I was just blindly rushing about." Rukia explained, her eyes flashing a bit. She understood what I was talking about, and was replying in her own way. I think she was talking about how she was upset that her senses were blocked, freaked out, and that affected how she acted.

"Well, I guess it's alright." I drawled out, smirking. "But you have to be sure to explain everything to me later, okay?"

"Okay, everyone! Time to take your seats!" Rang out a female voice, slightly more mature sounding than the other students. Looking towards the front of the classroom I met the gaze of my new teacher, who then tried to usher her students to their desks. "Today we have a surprise! Two new transfer students!"

Rukia and I made our way to the front of the classroom, because we weren't sure where we were supposed to sit. The teacher smiled at us, "These two are Kokawa Junko and Kuchiki Rukia." She adjusted her glasses as she read off our names, before looking up from the list and smiling at us. "My name is Ochi Misato, or Miss Ochi to you two."

Rukia and I lightly bowed to her, showing our respect. Miss Ochi smiled at us once more, before directing us to some empty seats towards the back of the class. When we sat down, Miss Ochi began the rest of the roll calling.

"Psst, Rukia." I hissed, trying to get the Shinigami's attention and no one else's. I didn't want to attract any unwanted attention.

"What?"

"What are you really doing here? Tell me at break, okay? I wanna know the truth, like why and how you wound up in that gigai." I whispered, and watched as her already large eyes widened even more.

Rukia knew she couldn't lie to me. I was skilled in detecting lies. She weakly nodded, and I could tell that her face was paler than it was before. She turned to face the front of the classroom again, her face set in a skillfully built mask. That was her thinking face.

• • •

Miss Ochi had just dismissed class for a small ten minute break. I had forgotten just how boring school could be…

Rukia was still deep in thought. That meant that I couldn't talk to her. Orihime looked like she was daydreaming again, and Tatsuki looked like she was bored to death as well.

A soft sigh caught my attention. Turing around to see where it was from, I spotted the glazed look on Orihime's eyes. She was still lost in her daydream, whatever it was about. Tatsuki's deep brown eyes met my own bright blue ones, as she stood up from her seat and walked over towards Orihime and I. Our desks were kind of close together, which was a good thing. Tatsuki then motioned for me to watch closely, a glint in her eye.

"Ichigo sure is late, huh?"

"W-Wha-?!" Orihime stuttered out, lightly blushing a bit. She even tried hiding behind the magazine that she had pretended to be reading.

"Weren't you thinking about him?" Tatsuki asked, joking.

"N-No! I wasn't!" Orihime tried to defend herself, but her now flaming red cheeks gave her away.

"Hm? Who are you guys talking about?" I asked, confused.

"Heh, it's nobody that you should be worried about. I just wonder what there is about him for Orihime to like. He's cold, his hair is a weird color, he's a brat, he's short-tempered…" Tatsuki kept on listing the bad traits that this 'Ichigo' person possessed. Sheepishly laughing to myself, I crept back to my desk by using Shunpo.

"You know, it's not smart to use that here." Rukia advised while nonchalantly looking through a magazine that she had found while she was going through my bag.

"Well, nobody saw. I doubt that these people could even see it happen anyway. It was way too fast for their eyes to follow." I spoke, sitting down and tapping my nails against the desks surface. "Besides, I could make up some lame excuse like, 'I had to go back to my desk to get a marker!' or something stupid like that."

"Hey, that reminds me," Rukia said. "Can I borrow that marker that you have in your bag for a second?"

"Sure." I said, not too sure what she wanted with my black Sharpie. "What are you going to do with it?"

I tossed her the marker, and she began to write on her hand before I could warn her to stop; Sharpie's were kind of semi-permanent. It would take forever for her to wash that off! I should have just given her a pen instead!

"I'll tell you later." Rukia said, tossing the Sharpie back at me when she was finished. I placed the marker back in my bag before I looked towards Rukia again, about to ask her something.

However, Rukia was intensely gazing at a person who had just entered the classroom. Blinking, I studied him for a few seconds as well. His hair was a bright orange, which seemed very un-natural. But there was something about him that seemed familiar; aside from the bright orange hair. I knew I'd never seen anyone with hair like that, so I shook off the feelings of him looking familiar from my mind.

"You're…are you Kurosaki-Kun?" Rukia asked, shooting the new comer an innocent smile. "Nice to meet you!"

The guy who sat in front of 'Kurosaki-Kun,' noticed this and then smiled. He leaned across his seat, gesturing towards Rukia and I. "Oh! This is Kuchiki-San and this is Kokawa-San! They both just transferred here today. It's a weird time to transfer, but both of their families were in situations where they decided to move."

"Y-You! Why?!" The orange haired male asked, pointing an accusing finger towards Rukia with a horrified expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" The dark haired guy from before, who if I can recall correctly introduced himself as Mizuiro, asked as he looked at his friend with a concerned expression.

"Kurosaki-Kun, I don't have the correct textbook yet. May I look at yours?" Rukia asked, sweetly smiling before she extended her hand towards the male whose hair greatly resembled the color of a traffic cone. When he looked at her hand, his face seemed even more horrified than before. Actually, it looked as if he had seen a ghost. I lightly laughed to myself, if he did know Rukia then he really had seen a ghost. Rukia grinned up at the horrified look teen, "Okay?"

Furrowing my eyebrows, I leaned across the desk and grabbed Rukia's hand. There, scribbled in the Sharpie that she had borrowed from me, were the words:

Make a scene and you're so DEAD~!

"Nice, Rukia, nice…" I muttered, as I dropped her hand and lightly hit my head against my desk. Whatever this was about, I was sure that I'd find out soon enough.


	5. Chapter Four

The next scheduled break that we had was lunch, and I was dead set on finding out what was going on. I had finally found Rukia, which meant that my mission was partly considered a success, but something odd was going on that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

As soon as Ochi-Sensei dismissed class for lunch, I immediately tapped Rukia on her shoulder to get her attention. "Rukia, do you want to explain to me what's going on here?"

"Jun, you know I do. It's just… once I start explaining, you have to listen intently. Don't interrupt me or you'll probably be lost." Rukia explained. "Kurosaki, you're coming, too!"

I shot her a questioning look, wondering why she wanted this human to hear what she was going to explain. I mean, sure. Now that I tried to look for his reiatsu, I found that I was off of the charts. But, I just didn't see what that had to do with anything.

Kurosaki, the tall orange haired male, took the lead. Rukia and I followed closely behind him; we didn't know the layout of this school, so we could still easily get lost. Besides, he was taking us to a really secluded place. We were still on the school grounds, which were currently deserted. Many people were eating lunch inside the building, or were gathered in the field that I had seen once he led us outside. However, he went the other way, distancing us from the other students.

"My, my, what a secluded place." Rukia mused, "What's on your mind, big boy?"

"R-Rukia! Stop talking like that!" I stuttered, surprised by her choice of words. Where did she pick that up? She definitely didn't learn that back in the Soul Society. I'm sure Kuchiki-Taicho wouldn't approve of her using those kinds of statements.

"She's right! It's disgusting!" Kurosaki agreed with me, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Disgusting? How rude." Rukia stated, almost like she was put off. "I spent the whole night learning your manners of speech! Not bad, eh?"

"Shut up. Explain what's going on, who you are, and how you two know each other!" Kurosaki demanded, pointing a finger in my direction.

I arched an eyebrow as I stared up at this rude man. "Che, that wasn't a nice way to ask at all. That was more like demanding, not asking."

"Whatever! Just tell me what's going on! I think I deserve that much, at least." He complained, his glare matching my own.

I crossed my arms, scowling up at him. He was really way too tall; it wouldn't kill him to shrink a few inches. I could already feel my neck complaining from having to look so far up at him. "Kokawa Junko. Most know me by just Jun. I'm a Substitute Shinigami; which classifies me as a human who gained Shinigami powers. I went to the Soul Society to get proper training. That's how I know Rukia." I explained in short sentences, hoping to keep this short and sweet. I wasn't going to waste my time telling a stranger my whole life history. Even Rukia didn't know everything about me; there were a few things that I would keep secret no matter what. "I've been sent back to the World of the Living to find Kuchiki Rukia and bring her back to the Soul Society for questioning."

"So, you're a Shinigami also?" Kurosaki asked.

I raised my eyebrow; I had thought that I had made that clear enough. "Yes. I had nothing better to do with my life. It was either become a Shinigami and learn how to control my powers or get killed by Hollows that always found me. It was thought that the best option was for me to become a Shinigami and be able to protect myself." I then turned my gaze towards Rukia, "Now that he knows who I am, I think it's about time you explained yourself, Rukia."

"Yeah, isn't your work here finished?! Why are you sneaking into my class now?! And why didn't you go back to the Soul Society or whatever?!" Kurosaki asked, his temper getting the best of him.

"You're both fools!" Rukia boomed, as she crossed her arms across her chest. A serious expression took over her face as she continued, "I'd have to be a Shinigami to return to the Soul Society. I can't go back!"

"Huh? Why not?" The guy asked, clearly clueless.

I blinked three times in a row, before I took in a huge intake of air which made a hissing noise that caught their attention. "Rukia, don't tell me…"

"Yes. I'm afraid that you're right. I've lost my Shinigami powers!" Rukia wouldn't meet my gaze, as she instead looked towards the ground. However, she did look up and gaze at the orange haired male beside me.

"Rukia, you know that you're not allowed to do that. That makes this a serious situation!" My eyes narrowed before murmuring something that only she could hear, "It's a serious crime!"

Then, it was like someone had turned on the light bulb in my brain. It suddenly made sense, almost like pieces of a puzzle coming together to show the real story.

 _"_ _Him,"_ Ankoku-Tatsu's voice rang out in my mind.

Kurosaki, the male next to me, had a huge mass of reiatsu. He's the only one that could block Rukia's senses, making her skill weaken. She could have gotten injured and, unable to protect him, transferred her powers to him. Why else would Rukia insist that he be here now? Obviously something had happened between the two of them.

When I turned to glare at the male beside me, he seemed to finally get what was going on. "Wha?! B-But I'm no longer a Shinigami! See, no kimono!" He spoke, as he raised his arm and tugged on the material of the school uniform. Of course, it was just his gray school uniform sleeve and not the black fabric of the Shihakusho. "Where did this 'Shinigami Power' go then?!"

"Inside of you," Rukia answered simply. "It's not your body, but your soul that has become a Shinigami." Then she pointed in my direction. "See, it's her soul that's a Shinigami. Otherwise, she'd be wearing her kimono. Normal people wouldn't be able to see her, only spiritually aware humans. Anyways, last night you stole all of my powers from me! I only have a few abilities left, and now I have to rely on this gigai to sustain me."

"Gigai?" Kurosaki asked, confused.

"It's a temporary body that Shinigami use in emergencies." I explained, trying to think of a way to get him to understand it. "Disempowered Shinigami will inhabit a gigai until their powers return."

"So that's what a gigai-thing is." He said, slowly starting to understand.

I decided to make it a bit simpler, "It's mainly used to disguise a Shinigami that has lost their powers. They can blend in with humans so they won't become easy prey for Hollows. Even humans that are spiritually unaware will be able to see them, as if they were a fellow human."

Kurosaki nodded, showing that he now understood what we were talking about.

"So, then… What would a weakened Shinigami want with me?" He asked next. This is the question that I had wanted answered the most. Rukia seemed to have an ulterior motive to staying in the World of the Living.

"Until my powers return, you will take over my Shinigami duties!" Rukia proudly exclaimed, holding her hand out towards Kurosaki for dramatic effect.

"I refuse!" Kurosaki loudly exclaimed, holding his arms up in front of him in an 'X' shape; the classic sign for signaling no.

Rukia looked flabbergasted, and I couldn't help but laugh at the look on her face. Obviously she sucked at trying to convince people to do what she wanted. "What..?"

"I said I refuse." Kurosaki stated as he turned around, facing the opposite direction. "I'm not fighting those monsters ever again. Yesterday, I was only able to fight because my family was in danger. I'm not fighting monsters like that for total strangers! I'm not that nice of a person!" He exclaimed, turning back around to somewhat glare at Rukia.

"But there's no problem! You do have the powers of a Shinigami now, so Jun and I will help you! You have no choice; this really is all your fault!" Rukia claimed.

"No way!" Both Kurosaki and I shouted at the same time. This caused us to look at each other, and I glared at him before turning back to the powerless Shinigami.

"Rukia, I fully intend to complete my mission. I am supposed to take you back to the Soul Society for questioning! So, please, don't try and make me a part of this! I don't intend on failing my mission. I have our Taicho's trust that I'll make it back with you." I explained, my eyes darkening to show that I was serious and meant what I said.

"Jun, you have to help. You're the only one who can help; Kurosaki clearly has no clue what being a Shinigami means and you have a pretty firm grasp on your powers. I'll be able to use you as a proper example; there'll be things that I won't be able to demonstrate because I don't have my powers anymore. Besides, you owe me! I helped you out a lot when you were still in the Academy." Rukia explained, a smug look crossing her face.

"That's so unfair!" I exclaimed, my eyebrows furrowing out of anger. "That's called blackmail, Rukia!" I paused, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. Ankoku-Tatsu was warning me not to lose my temper, so I tried to listen to her and calm down. "Alright," I caved. "I'll only agree to this if you can get the traffic cone over there to agree as well. I do think that I deserve a lengthy vacation in the World of the Living, so I'll play along for a little bit. However, if we get caught then this is all your fault. This is seriously some deep shit."

"Ah, I knew that you would agree sooner or later, Jun-Kun~!" Rukia almost sang, while I got the feeling like I had just been conned into something bad. I slid down the brick wall that I was leaning against, until my butt hit the concrete ground.

"She won't have to do anything because I already said that I'm not going to fight against any more of those monsters." Kurosaki said, glaring at me. He had probably caught that I had called him 'traffic cone.' "As I said before, I'm not that nice of a person. Sorry if I disappointed you."

"I see… I guess I have no other choice," Rukia muttered, as she pulled a bright red fingerless glove from her pocket. On the glove was a familiar flaming skull. I knew what she was going to do; she was going to force his soul from his body.

As he turned around to face her, not knowing what she was going to do, he was startled when he found that she was running straight towards him. The palm of her gloved hand connected underneath his chin, forcibly separating his soul. His body, now soulless, fell to the ground; limp and lifeless.

"Waa?!" Kurosaki exclaimed, looking down at his hands. "What's this?! My soul has been removed! Hey, hey body! Snap out of it!" He crawled towards his lifeless body, which was lying face down on the concrete. He was trying to get it to move but it was useless. It would remain lifeless until he re-inhabited it or another soul entered the body.

What caught my interest was the size of his Zanpakuto. It was huge. It was far too big to be carried on his hip; because of this, it was slung across his back. But even so, it was almost the length of his body.

"Hey, follow me." Rukia ordered, as she began to walk off. She stopped, staring until Kurosaki got the message to follow her. "And Jun, I'll ask that you stay here and look after his body."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I muttered in reply, as I lazily waved at them as they took off. I rolled my eyes and sighed, getting ready to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet for a while. However, a discreet beeping noise caught my attention. I took out my cell phone, knowing that it was the source of the noise.

My phone was one of the newest models. Urahara had modified a newer human cell phone, tampering with it until it became a Hollow pager. The Soul Society only had a few older models, and they weren't as accurate. Not to mention, they figured that a trained Shinigami would be adept enough at being able to focus on a Hollows presence and track it that way. So, this was like cheating. Which I was fine with; it meant less work for me.

I pressed and held down the unlock button the touch screen of the cell phone, before the alert popped up:

Yumizawa Children's Park

20M radius

12:00 PM

\+ or – 15 min

That must have been where Rukia was taking that Kurosaki person. After all, she couldn't slay the Hollow herself. That meant that I wouldn't have to target it. I sighed in boredom, before my gaze fell on the limp body. Class was about to start back up; I wasn't just gonna ditch and watch a lifeless body until they returned.

I might as well just hide his body somewhere where nobody would see it and think that someone was actually dead. It would also have to be a place where they'd be able to easily find it… So, where to put it?

Without an answer, I sighed as I stood up and walked over to the body. Just what was I supposed to do with his body?

Obviously, I didn't wanna lug it around the school; that'd look suspicious.

And I didn't know the guy, so there was no way I was going to get that close to his lifeless body anyway.

So, I did the only thing that I could think of. Cupping my hands around my mouth, I screamed:

"Sensei! Kurosaki's passed out~!"

"What?! Where?!" I heard a teacher call out, running towards my voice.

"Over here! Help, please!"

"What happened, Kokawa-San?" The teacher asked, as he turned to stare at me. However, I was too busy lost in thought, and I didn't hear him.  
"Kokawa-San?"

He waved a hand in front of my face, catching my attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I guess I just spaced out there for a moment! What were you saying before?" I asked, trying to be as respectful as I could.

"It's quite alright. I'm sure finding a classmate passed out could be quite shocking. I was just asking if you knew what had happened."

"Well, I'm not sure!" I spoke, trying to sound as innocent as possible. That was easier to think than to accomplish; I'm sure a heavily pierced girl wouldn't appear all that innocent. "I was just walking around the campus, you know, trying to get better acquainted with my surroundings since I'm new, when I turn a corner and see him sprawled out on the ground! I did check his vitals, though, and he seems fine. Although, I did poke him and he didn't respond."

"I see. Well, it must have been the heat. It is quite hot out for this time of the year." The teacher muttered, as he wiped at a bit of sweat that had accumulated on his own forehead. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, do you think that you could help me move him to the nurse's office?"

"Alright," I nodded, as I reached for Kurosaki's other arm. I proceeded to throw it across my shoulders, noticing how it seemed so much larger than my own small self.

As we set off on our trek to the nurse's office, I couldn't help but hope that he didn't agree to Rukia's plan. I didn't want to help train him. And I really didn't want to get busted by the Soul Society.


	6. Chapter Five

• • •

Sighing so hard that it blew my bangs from in front of my right eye, I plopped down on the empty picnic table that was in the park. Rukia had asked that I show up to help her train Kurosaki, who had reluctantly accepted the proposition and would be slaying Hollows for her. However, I couldn't find a trace of either one of them.

I just hope I got the right park, I thought as I stared up at the fluffy white clouds that sluggishly floated along the invisible currents. Just staring at the calmness of the sky soothed me; I found cloud watching very relaxing.

It was Sunday, the only day that we had off from school. I was just glad that I had set that stupid alarm clock that Urahara had moved into my apartment, or else I would've slept in and have been late, too. Of course, Rukia had to be the serious one and schedule training on our one day off. Shesh, she never allowed a moment of rest. She had split the Hollow orders evenly between Kurosaki and me, especially the ones that occurred during school. It wouldn't do us any good to all run out of class and get in trouble. Because of that, I don't really know how strong Kurosaki has actually gotten; I've never even seen him slay a Hollow yet. Besides, I had no clue what Rukia meant by training, anyway. Especially having to show up at the local park to do it. Wouldn't it be suspicious to train him in front of humans?

I was snapped out of my train of thoughts when I heard footsteps approaching. This part park was strangely deserted, so I knew it had to be either Rukia or Kurosaki. I had hoped that it was Rukia, but to my displeasure it was only Kurosaki.

"Oh, so you decided to show up?" I asked, as I eyed the human with calculating eyes. At first, I really hadn't thought that he would accept Rukia's offer. He seemed like a cold and distant person, at least that's how Tatsuki had described him on the first day. So you can say that I was unpleasantly surprised when Rukia told me that he had accepted and was going to uphold his end of the deal.

"Yeah, well, I promised Rukia that I'd do this Shinigami job for her until her powers return." Kurosaki explained, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his own skinny jeans. "What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling my eyebrows rise in confusion.

"You seem kind of depressed and gloomy." He said, as he moved his eyes to gaze up at the sky. "I know that you don't wanna help, so you shouldn't have to. I can train by myself."

I scoffed, "Don't make me laugh." I spoke, sarcasm dripping from my words. "Shinigami training is really difficult. It usually takes many years to complete. Hell, some would argue that it takes longer than two or three human life spans to fully grasp it. Besides, we're only going to teach you the basics so that you won't wind up getting yourself killed. Even I don't know everything there is about Shinigami's, so that's why I'm not an official one. I do know the basics, though, and that's why I'm here. I owe Rukia, so I'm gonna help her. Even if it means that I have to sacrifice all the free time that I have, I'll do anything that she asks of me."

My words looked like they shocked Kurosaki. He blinked at me, before coming over and sitting on top of the picnic bench as well. "So, how long did it take you to become a Shinigami?"

He was beginning to show interest. That was something that I didn't like one bit at all. I tried to keep most things about me to myself; I rarely opened up to many people, especially when it came down to stuff about my past. Even Rukia, the only person I considered a best friend, didn't know everything about me. Only Urahara and Tessai did.

"I became a Shinigami when I was eleven. That took a year of training here in the World of the Living. Then I went to the Soul Society to further my training. Ages twelve to almost fifteen I was training in the Soul Society before they really accepted me." I tried to make this sound as boring as possible. I didn't want to spark his interest and have him ask even more detailed questions.

"You became a Shinigami at eleven?!"

"Well, yeah." I stated with a shrug of my thin shoulders, like it was no big deal. "After I learned how to control my reiatsu, it was easy to become a Shinigami."

"Who taught you everything? Well, you know, before you went to the Soul Society." He asked, his cinnamon eyes lit up with interest, even if it didn't show on his face.

"He's probably someone that you'll meet soon. I'm almost positive that you haven't met him yet; and I only say that because he usually prefers to keep quiet while things are going on, then show up and offer his help. He's a bit like a jellyfish, kind of spineless and everything. Besides, he tends to leave a lasting impression on you when you meet him." I spoke, lightly chuckling as I thought about Urahara. He was more complex than meets the eye, but that's what made him interesting.

"Your parent's let you go to the Soul Society for years just to train?"

As soon as the word 'parents' left his lips, he probably knew that he asked the wrong question. I could feel my body tense up, muscles turning rigid and unmoving as I forced my legs up to my chest and rested my chin on my knees. My gaze dropped from the sky to the ground as my bangs fell and covered my eyes.

"Did I say something wrong?" Kurosaki asked, probably surprised by my sudden change in mood.

I wasn't sure if I could trust myself to speak, so I just softly nodded my head. Taking a deep breath, I was reassured that I could speak. "I don't wanna talk about it. So just drop it."

Kurosaki knew that he had definitely said the wrong thing. Before, I wasn't exactly carefree, but I would at least answer his questions and meet his gaze. Once he mentioned my parents, I totally clammed up. I couldn't bring myself to lift my eyes from the ground, and I didn't feel any motivation to get out of my curled up pose. My parent's death was still a tender issue to me; I still couldn't take people casually asking about it.

However, what he said seemed to shock us both:

"Sorry."

Both of our eyes widened at the same time, as mine snapped towards his face. I shook my head a bit before replying, "Whatever; just forget that we brought this up, okay? I don't like thinking about it, much less talking about it."

"Hn, whatever you say." He said, as he crossed his arms. It became silent for a few moments, neither one of us wanting to say anything.

"Ichigo! Jun!" I don't think that I had ever been happier to see Rukia in my whole entire life, even if she appeared while dragging a weird looking machine behind her and had a bat slung over her shoulder.

Rukia blinked, looking at us and taking in the tense atmosphere. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"Nope, nothing." I replied, as I uncurled and stretched. "Let's just go ahead and get this over with so I can go home already."

• • •

"Brace yourself, Kurosaki!" I warned, as I turned the speed to the maximum on the weird pitching machine that Rukia had somehow acquired.

Rukia claimed that this was important for training, but I didn't see the logic behind her reasoning. Even so, I decided to go along with it. After all, she was the one in charge of Kurosaki's little training regimen, not me.

Actually, I remember zoning out while she was talking. I mean, it was all about stuff that I had already known about, so I didn't see the harm in not paying attention. And when she had finished, Kurosaki told me that she had said something about wanting us to hit the balls that flew out of the machine a hundred times or so. I didn't know what it would accomplish other than trying to build hand eye coordination, which I was pretty sure that Kurosaki already had.

"Alright, I'm ready!" The orange haired teen called out as he positioned his bat, getting ready for when the ball would fly out of the machine. Right as he finished his sentence, the pitching machine let a ball speed out.

The cracking sound of the ball connecting with the bat resounded throughout the training area, as I whistled and traced the arch that the ball had made, "Wooow~! Home run that time; good job."

"Thanks," Kurosaki replied, tossing the bat to me. He was just lucky that I caught it, or I would have gone after him with it. "Your turn."

I don't see why I have to participate in this training anyway. I mean, Rukia already knew that I was more than capable of slaying a Hollow. Now, I might have been a little clumsy, but I don't see how that matters. In the end, I'd always gotten the Hollow that I had been determined to kill.

Closing my eyes while I waited on the machine, my ears prickled when I heard the sound of the ball release and speed through the air. With my eyes still closed, I swung the bat. I was satisfied by the loud crack that resounded after I swung. Tracing the arch that it made, I smiled once I saw that it traveled further than Kurosaki's.

"Next," I stated, tossing the bat at Kurosaki again.

This kind of training went on for a while. Occasionally, we would hit a foul ball; one that was filled with pepper and explode after contact with the bat. After one of those pepper balls exploded, the person that had hit it would erupt into a fit of sneezes and coughs, unable to hit the next ball for a few more turns. The pepper even stained our clothes, leaving giant black patches that looked like soot stains. I just hoped that it would wash out.

" ** _'_** ** _I know about it my sister! It's all hidden in that box, isn't it? That jade box that Mother gave you. Give me that box, my sister Marianne! Now!'_** _'_ _No! We mustn't open the box! Francoise, no!'_ " Rukia's voice had distracted us from our so called 'training'. However, she was sitting on top of the picnic table reading that manga that she had snatched from me not too long ago.

A wicked grin crossed my lips, confusing Kurosaki. I raised my pointer finger to my lips, indicating that he needed to stay quiet. Slowly, I crept towards Rukia, while he followed behind me. When we had reached behind her, I nodded my head towards Kurosaki, who seemed to get the hint.

"Hey! What the heck are you doing?!" Kurosaki yelled, with the bat slung across his shoulder. Rukia flew a few feet into the air as an unladylike shriek left her mouth.

"O-o-ooh! You scared me!" Rukia yelled, a hand clutched over her heart, as she was trying to calm down. "I'm studying modern speech!"

"You were not," Kurosaki accused, "And using that study? You were reading that stupid horror comic while Jun and I were training our Shinigami butts off! Where did you get such a stupid book like that anyway?"

"Oh, this?" Rukia asked, holding up the manga. "I found it when I was going through Jun's bag yesterday during school."

"So it wasn't missing! You did take it!" I muttered, rolling my eyes. She could have at least told me that she was going to borrow it. Not just go through my stuff and take whatever she liked.

"I don't even wanna know." Kurosaki said, crossing his arms and shooting me a weird look.

"Hey, it's not that bad of a manga. It's actually kind of interesting once you get into it. So don't knock it until you try it!" I defended.

"Anyways," Rukia began, trying to break us up before another argument could start. "You guys finish your training already?"

"Yeah." I boredly stated, lightly yawning and covering my mouth.

"We hit those stupid pepper balls a hundred times, right? We're done!" Kurosaki elaborated, gesturing towards the weird pitching machine. "What's this supposed to accomplish anyways? And where did you get this weird pitching machine? Hopefully not from you, too..!"

"No! I've never seen that thing before in my life! I'm not that weird!" I stated, looking innocent and causing him to scoff.

"Fools!" Rukia's exclamation made us both jump. "Only the **wrong** balls had pepper in them!"

"Wrong…balls?" Both Kurosaki and I asked at the same time, staring at Rukia as if she had grown an extra head.

I turned on Kurosaki, "You didn't tell me we weren't supposed to hit certain balls! You just told me we had to hit a hundred pepper filled ones!"

"Well, sorry! I didn't know! It's kind of difficult to tell which ones were which when they were flying towards us!"

"You guys…didn't hit every single ball, did you?" Rukia asked, eyes wide.

"Yes!" We both yelled in unison again.

"Great, what a way to spend my Sunday!" I moaned, hunched over in agitation while I covered my eyes.

"You idiots! I told you guys to only hit the balls with the heads on them! What's the point of this exercise?!" Rukia questioned, upset that we hadn't put that much effort into her training.

"How should I know?! It's impossible to tell the heads from the hands with the way you draw!" Kurosaki yelled, as he then reached into the weird pitching machine and pulled out two different balls. Holding up one with a hand and another one with a head on it, it was pretty difficult to tell which was which. "Am I right, Jun?!"

"Actually, no matter how well they're drawn or not, I think it would be impossible to tell which is which when they're flying at you at speeds over twenty miles an hour." I explained, proceeding to grab both balls from Kurosaki's hands and walk over to the picnic table. Rummaging through my bag, I pulled out the same Sharpie marker from before. "I'll try and fix this, hopefully."

As I drug the machine over to the picnic table, I took a seat next to Rukia, who watched as I tried to fix her little sketches. "Listen, Ichigo; Jun already knows this. The head of a Hollow is always its weakest spot. One good whack will split it open like it's a melon! This training will help you crack heads with precision, no matter what the situation is!"

Kurosaki then sat down cross-legged on the bench of the picnic table, looking up at Rukia and I who were sitting on its top. "Why do I have to do that? I've been beating them fine so far."

"You fool, when have you ever defeated a Hollow with a single blow?! Approaching the Hollow from behind and killing it with one blow is the essence of Hollow hunting! It's a miracle that you've survived fighting them as you have!" Rukia exclaimed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hitting them from behind is unfair! I can't do it!" Ichigo argued back, "How can I fight so dirty like that?"

"Fool!" Rukia chastised again, "Save that stuff for fighting against humans! Your opponents are Hollows! The same rules do not apply."

I softly smiled as I concentrated on fixing the remaining balls. "I was the same way. However, I now look at it in a different light; Hollows are just evil creatures that can cause harm to people anytime or anywhere. They target the innocent. Because of this, they need to be gotten rid of as quickly as possible, before they cause more harm than they have already inflicted. Rukia helped me understand that Hollows aren't human; they thrive off of pure destructive instincts."

"I know… I just…" Kurosaki began, only to be interrupted.

"Hi, Kurosaki-Kun~!" Orihime shouted, her hands cupped around her mouth as she appeared behind Kurosaki. He proceeded to scream and jump a couple of inches in the air.

"Orihime, what are you doing here?" I asked from my perch on the picnic table. I saw her approach from my vantage point, so I didn't jump from her yelling.

"Hehehe, I was just doing a little dinner shopping! I bought leeks, bananas, butter, and bean jam jelly!" Orihime happily announced, while plucking a random sprig of leek from her shopping bag and twirling it around.

I was too afraid to ask what she was planning to make.

Orihime put the leek back into her bag and smiled. "So what are you doing here, Kurosaki-Kun, Jun-Chan?"

Kurosaki was stumbling over an answer, looking towards me for some help; he didn't know what to tell her. Obviously we looked a little sketchy, covered in pepper stains and what not. Luckily for him, however, Orihime's short attention span switched on: "And Kuchiki-San, too?!"

"Huh?" Rukia asked, crossing her arms. A dull look spread across her face as she turned towards the auburn haired girl. "Do I know you?"

"Idiot!" Kurosaki hissed in Rukia's ear, "She's Inoue Orihime! She's in our class!"

Something seemed to click inside Rukia's mind, a fake smile instantly spread all the way across her face. "Oh, Inoue-San. I'm honored to make your acquaintance!" Quickly curtsying, Rukia pulled up the fabric of the sundress that she was wearing.

Surprisingly, Orihime curtsied right back! "Eh… Yes, honored…"

"Orihime," I asked, my icy blue eyes wide in concern, "What happened to your arm?"

"Yeah, did you fall again?" Kurosaki asked, once I had pointed out the fact that she had white bandages wrapped around a large portion of her upper arm.

"Huh? Oh, this?" Orihime asked as she pointed towards the bandages. "No, I was hit!"

"Hi-Hit?!" Kurosaki stuttered out, surprised.

I blinked, staring at the auburn haired teen in front of me in wonder. "Let me try and clarify this: when you say hit, do you mean by a car?"

"Yeah, I went out to buy a drink last night and – BAM!" Orihime informed, as if she was telling an interesting story she'd heard on the TV. "I've been getting hit a lot lately, ehehe."

"You shouldn't be laughing! That's a serious accident! You should be angrier!" Kurosaki stated, shaking his head at Orihime's obliviousness.

"Well, it's not like they hit me on purpose…" Orihime softly spoke, lightly pushing some of her bangs behind her ear.

"You get hurt often, Inoue-San?" Rukia asked, just about taking the words out of my mouth.

"More than often! It's almost every day!" Kurosaki darkly informed.

"I zone out a lot, so…" Orihime meekly stated, lightly scratching the back of her head.

I smiled, laughing a bit. "Me too!"

Smiling, Orihime and I high-fived.

"Don't be so casual about it!" Kurosaki barked in our direction, looking exasperated.

It was quiet for a moment; that is, until Rukia broke the silence.

"That bruise on your leg… May I take a look?" Rukia asked, kneeling down once Orihime moved her leg out so she could get a closer look.

Orihime's injury did look like a giant bruise, and it took up a large portion of her lower limb. With the floral printed skirt that Orihime was wearing, it was difficult to tell how far it continued up her leg. However, the longer I looked at it, the more claw-like it seemed. Almost as if a Hollow had grabbed her.

"I got this last night, too. So, I think it might have happened when I was hit by the car, too." When Orihime was explaining, a dark look crossed Rukia's face. Startled by the change on Rukia's face, Orihime blinked and placed her hands on her knees as she bent towards Rukia. "Kuchiki-San? What's with the scary face..?"

"Huh? Oh, no." Rukia spoke, as a fake innocent look appeared. "I was just thinking… that it looks pretty painful!"

"Wow! You're right! My leg hurts much more than my arm!" Orihime stated, pointing towards her bandaged arm as if that proved anything.

"Have you gone numb from the pain?! You should go see a doctor!" Kurosaki advised, his eyes wide.

Orihime's cheeks flared a delicate shade of red, "Huh..? U-um…"

"Why does that make you blush?" Kurosaki bluntly asked, as if he had no clue that Orihime had a huge crush on him. I'd been here for a few days already and I knew that she had a crush on him on the first day. And here he is; he has probably known her for years, yet he is still oblivious to her feelings towards him.

A loud beeping noise started us all, as Orihime gasped. Looking at her watch, her eyes widened. Quickly, she made a dash towards the sidewalk once more. "Oh, no! I'm late!"

"In a hurry?" I asked, sarcasm dripping from my tone.

"Yes! Shoten's gonna start soon!" She called back, before pausing for a second and turning towards our group again. "Jun-Chan! I was wondering, do you want to come over to my apartment tonight? Tatsuki-Chan is coming too, and it'd be much more fun if we got to know you better!"

Blinking, I nodded. "Um, sure. It sounds fine to me. What time should I be over?"

"Just show up around six, six-thirty." Orihime advised. "Is that okay?"

"Sure! I'll see you guys then!" I yelled, waving towards Orihime as she began walking again.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kurosaki yelled out, watching Orihime quickly run with a slight limp to her step. "Do you want me to walk you home?!"

"Huh?! N-No, I-I'm fine!" Orihime stuttered out, without thinking. She had blown her chance to spend some time with him. Besides, they would have been alone together!

"Okay! See you tomorrow, then!" Kurosaki called back out to her as she disappeared down the sidewalk. Once Orihime was out of his sight, he let out a pent up sigh. "Phew! Just watching her makes me tired."

"That Inoue girl…" Rukia asked, turning her gaze towards me before landing on Kurosaki. "Are you close?"

"Not really. Well, kind of, I guess." Kurosaki stated, racking his brain for memories. "She's been best friends with someone who's lived in my neighborhood since eighth grade."

"I didn't know her when I lived here before. But we have gotten kind of close throughout this week. And, as you heard, she wants me to go to her house tonight. So, I'd consider her a friend." I explained, as I felt Rukia's gaze travel to me.

Rukia blinked and nodded in understanding. Turning back to Kurosaki, she continued to question him, knowing that I probably wasn't as close to her as he was. "Does she have any family?"

"Just one; she had a much older brother." Kurosaki spoke, as his gaze tilted towards the sky. His eyes were slightly squinted, as if that would help him recall the information.

"Had?" I asked, feeling my eyebrows furrow. That didn't sound good.

"Yeah," Kurosaki spoke. "He died three years ago. I was the one who opened the door, so I remember it well. It was as I was about to leave for school. The clinic wasn't open, yet I heard the bell ring. A girl was there with her brother on her back. It was a car accident. Blood was everywhere. There was nothing we could do with our equipment. He died before the ambulance to take him to a big hospital arrived. That's it. Well, I only recently remembered that the brown haired girl from that day was her. But why are you asking about all of this? Are you interested in her or something?"

"Not really." Rukia plainly spoke, before turning around and beginning to walk off. "I'm not interested."

"What the hell is that!?" Kurosaki yelled as Rukia began walking off.

"Come on; it's time we go home, too."

"Hey, where do you go home to? You have a home down here or something?" Kurosaki asked, as his gaze traveled from Rukia towards me.

"What~?" Rukia mused, as she tossed an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to her. We both looked up at him with mischievous eyes. "Do our private lives interest you~?"

"I-I'm not interested in that!" Kurosaki yelled, his cheeks lightly tinting pink; although, it was probably more from anger than embarrassment.

"Then don't ask."


	7. Chapter Six

• • •

"Well, that's Rukia for you." I laughed at the frustrated look on Kurosaki's face. Walking back towards the picnic table, I placed the abandoned marker and book back into my bag.

"You know," Kurosaki spoke, as he picked up two of the balls that I had fixed, "These look really good."

"Thanks, but I'm not an artist." I modestly replied, lightly laughing as I threw the rest of the balls back into the weird pitching machine that Rukia had abandoned as well. What were we supposed to do with that thing..?

"It's better than Rukia's drawings. I might have been able to tell the difference if we had these in the beginning." He said while I laughed.

"Kurosaki, a five year old can draw better than she can sometimes." I sniggered, remembering all of the drawings that she had made to help teach me things back in the day. Realizing what I had just said, I pointed an accusing finger towards the orange haired teenager. "Don't you dare tell Rukia I said that, either! She'd kill me!"

An evil grin spread across his lips, well, it'd be better classified as a smirk with his personality. I glared at the orange haired teen before giving in and sighing.

Dropping the accusing finger that I had been pointing at him with, I simply shrugged. "Doesn't matter; Rukia will believe me before she believes you. So, go ahead and try to tell her. She'll probably bind you in another Kido spell." I sniggered, trying to picture that. I hadn't been there to witness Rukia placing Kurosaki in a binding spell, but she'd told me all about it.

"That's not even funny. She drew on my face after she pulled that stupid magic trick on me!" Kurosaki bellowed out, glaring at the air next to him as if it were Rukia herself.

Laughing, I slung my black and green hobo bag over my shoulder. "Well, it looked hilarious the way I pictured it in my mind. But, it doesn't matter. Besides, we should be heading home, too. I have to shower before I meet up with Tatsuki and Orihime later…"

"Yeah; you're all peppery." Kurosaki said, pointing out the obvious.

"Well, duh. Besides, you are too. So you shouldn't be talking." I said, rolling my eyes. I blinked, before deciding to answer his question from earlier on. Biting my bottom lip, I answered. "Hey, to answer your previous question, I have no clue as to where Rukia is going 'home' to."

"You don't? But, aren't you two like best friends?" He asked, looking confused.

"We are best friends, but that doesn't mean that I know where she's been staying. That's why I asked her if she wanted to stay with me when I first found her, but she refused. She told me that she'd find somewhere else to stay. That way, as she stated, she wouldn't be a burden to me." I rolled my eyes and began to walk out of the park, with Kurosaki following next to me.

"Where do you stay, then?"

Looking up at him, I tilted my head. "I have my own apartment. Well, technically, it isn't mine. My old teacher slash guardian gave it to me. He thought it was best if I stayed on my own from now on. I didn't have a problem with that; if I did stay with him, he'd probably force me to work in his store…"

Looking at the street signs closely, I absently nodded. I still wasn't that great with navigating around this town. I was never any good with directions; because of that, I had countlessly gotten lost in the Seireitei while I did random missions and everything. That's mainly what I relied on Rukia for. She seemed to know her way around that maze like place.

That's when I noticed that Kurosaki was still walking next to me. And he had been, for quite a while. But I was taking the right route home. Was he walking me home? Or was he trying to be a sneaky stalker and find out where I lived?

"Why are you still here?" I asked, a confused look on my face.

He met my confused look with a blank stare. "I'm going to my house."

"You mean you live around here, too?" I asked, watching as he awkwardly placed his hands in his pockets. He nodded, not even looking around at street names.

I shook my head as we lapsed in silence once more. I nervously looked around after another couple of minutes, wondering if I had taken a wrong turn or something. I was sure that I had taken the right turns, so why hadn't my apartment come into view yet?

"Yay~!" I quietly whispered, as I finally saw my apartment. Kurosaki noticed the spring in my step as I sped up.

"Wait! You mean you live in that apartment?!" Kurosaki yelled out, pointing at my apartment building with a shocked look on his face. Actually, I found his face quite hilarious.

Giggling, I nodded. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"It's just… That's my house over there." He stated, as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the rather large building across the street from the small apartment complex. And when I say small apartment complex, I mean small apartment complex. It was only two stories tall, and the entire building was split into four different apartments; two on the first floor and two on the top. All in all, it looked like a regular home turned into an apartment, which is probably what happened.

Blinking, I lightly pouted. "I should have known. After all, it does say 'Kurosaki Clinic' on it in big print." It just wasn't in my nature to pay attention to things like that.

"Wait, if you really live in those apartments, then how come I'd never seen you when we walked home from school? We would have been going the same way and we would have been bound to run into each other." He suspiciously asked, cinnamon eyes slightly narrowed.

"Well, I had stopped by and watched Tatsuki and the karate team; she'd asked me to join, but I declined. I wanted to see how good they were, though. And then I'd go to my old teacher's house. He usually wound up making me do random chores around the store. So I usually got home late." I explained, wondering why he was so suspicious of me in the first place.

"Oh," Kurosaki muttered, seeming to sound pleased with my answer. It was, after all, a plausible excuse. He could even ask Tatsuki if he didn't believe me. Or Urahara, if he knew him.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow!" I said, waving as I turned to walk up the stairs to get to my apartment on the second floor.

"Yeah, see 'ya." He replied, and I nodded my head to indicate that I'd heard, but I don't know if he'd seen it or not. I shrugged my shoulders, digging into my bag for my key.

• • •

"Yay! Jun-Chan made it!" Orihime exclaimed loudly as she grabbed me into a large hug as I stepped into her apartment. I lightly hugged her back as well, not wanting it to turn too awkward.

"Well, yeah. Of course I made it. I told you I was coming, right?" I asked, smiling as she released me from her grip. "I don't easily go back on my words. And if there's some reason why I would ever have to, then I'd make it up to the person. Although, I'd make sure it was something much better."

"That's so thoughtful!" Orihime said, smiling.

"Hey," Tatsuki called out, as I turned my head in different directions trying to find her. She was seated at Orihime's table.

"Hey, Tatsuki." I smiled. Orihime and I walked over towards her table and took our seats. We formed a triangle, with Orihime being the point.

"So, what are we going to do?" Tatsuki lazily asked, as she looked at all of us. We had been quiet for a few seconds, not knowing where to start.

"I don't know." I spoke, looking towards Orihime to see if she had any suggestions. After all, this was her house. She had the final say in anything we would do.

"Well…" Orihime began, thinking. "Well, why don't we get to know each other better?"

"Hey, that's actually a good idea." Tatsuki said, looking mildly interested now. I'm guessing that Orihime didn't have good ideas like that most of the time.

"It's fine with me." I said, lightly nodding with a smile.

"Okay! So, we should go in rounds! Like everyone should answer whatever question is asked. For example, what's your favorite color?" Orihime asked, smiling. "Mine's orange."

"Hm, green." Tatsuki answered, having to think about it for a second.

"Mine is…Um, I don't really know." I spoke, causing them to sweat drop at my answer. "My favorite color tends to change depending on whatever mood I'm in. Like now… it's probably a bright blue!"

"Awe, that sounds like a pretty color! But, I'm the same way, too! My favorite color changes so each one has a chance to be my favorite." Orihime said, smiling and waving her arms around wildly.

"Okay, calm down." Tatsuki said, grinning. "So, how about your favorite food next? Mine is apple pie."

"That sounds good," I spoke with a smile. "My favorite would be strawberry pocky."

"My favorite is red bean paste!" Orihime happily cried out, grinning like an idiot.  
"That's… interesting." I said, sweat dropping. "Let's see… How about your favorite genre of music? My favorite is rock slash pop."

"Rock." Tatsuki automatically replied, grinning at me.

"Um…let's see…" Orihime trailed off, "How about pop? Cause I like all kinds of upbeat music!" She nodded to herself, and then she saw that it was her turn to ask the next question. "What's your favorite talent? Everyone knows that mine is daydreaming!"

Tatsuki chuckled. "Practicing and training. Physical stuff, mainly."

"Well, I play the piano and sing a bit." I said, trailing off a bit. I hadn't actually touched a piano in years, but I would still sing in the shower or whenever I was bored.

"You actually play the piano?" Orihime asked, impressed.

"Yeah, but I haven't been able to touch one in years. So I'm probably really rusty. And I don't like singing in front of people, cause I kind of have really bad stage fright." I explained, sheepishly rubbing the back of my teased hair with a smile.

"But you have such a pretty voice! I'm sure you'd sound even better singing!" Orihime said, lightly pouting.

Tatsuki nodded along with Orihime. "She's right. You'll have to sing for us sometime."

"Um, sure." I said, a bit unsure.

"It's a promise, then." Tatsuki spoke, smiling.

I gently nodded, wondering what I'd gotten myself into.

"Alright! Next, what's your favorite TV show?"

• • •

The rounds and rounds of questions had continued for a few hours. I now felt like I knew almost everything about the two girls sitting next to me. I did feel a bit guilty considering that they probably felt the same way, when the truth was they didn't know about a huge chunk of my life: my Shinigami side.

However, the conversation didn't just stick to asking questions and having them answered. Somehow, the conversation had strayed to my encounter with Orihime in the park earlier on. She had told Tatsuki about how Ichigo was there and everything.

"Are you freaking stupid?!" Tatsuki shouted, shooting Orihime a somewhat shocked and scary look.

"Don't be rude," Orihime chastised. "I'm totally not stupid!"

"Yes, you are! To waste a chance like that…" Tatsuki trailed off, crossing her arms as she sighed at her best friend's denseness.

"Yeah, Orihime." I said, nodding. "I mean, I don't know Kurosaki very well, but I'm sure that he wouldn't do that sort of thing often."

"You guys really think so?" Orihime asked, taking a sip of the tea that she had prepared for everyone.

"Yep, at times like that you just gotta go for it!" Tatsuki said, seeming to gain energy.

"Go for it?" Orihime and I asked at the same time, exchanging confused glances. How did Tatsuki imagine her going after something like that?

"Yes! When he says, 'Should I walk you home?' of course you say, 'Sure.' Then you use the pain in your leg as an excuse to lean on him!" Tatsuki explained, placing her finger into the air. "Then when he's walked you to a place where nobody is around… pull him into a dark place, and… Take him down!" Tatsuki bellowed, frightening Orihime and I at the same time. We both jumped and Orihime spilt the tea that she was drinking.

"T-Tatsuki-Chan!" Orihime whined, embarrassed that she'd spilt her tea all over herself.

"Oh, yeah. That reminds me…" Tatsuki trailed off, as she turned towards me. "What were you and the other transfer student doing in the park with Ichigo?"

"Huh?" I blinked, trying to buy me enough time to come up with a good excuse. It didn't take me long to come up with a good story, and I nervously smiled. "I-It was nothing like that, Tatsuki! Rukia and I are new here, so we decided to look around the town for a bit. We kind of got lost in the park, and Kurosaki showed up and helped us out a bit!"

"Is that all..?" Tatsuki asked, shooting me a suspicious look.

"Yep!" I exclaimed, trying my best to look all innocent. Thankfully, I was saved by the bell; well, it was more like I was saved by the beep in this case.

I blinked, looking down at my pocket. My cell phone was going off, which naturally meant that there was a Hollow that was about to show up.

"Sorry, it's just my phone going off!" I explained, not having seen Orihime and Tatsuki jump up into the air in surprise at the sudden loud noise. I pulled out my phone, quickly unlocking the touch screen.

"What's the matter?" Orihime asked, as she saw the somewhat tense look appear on my face. I knew where the Hollow was supposed to appear; this was going to be bad!

"Oh, I'm really sorry! I really have to leave! I was supposed to be home before now. I had promised that I would." I spoke as I stood up, my hand tightly clenched onto my phone. "I'll see you guys tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow." Tatsuki said, while nodding with Orihime.

"Yep! We'll see you tomorrow morning!" Orihime added, beaming.

"Okay, I'll see myself out. Have a good night!" I exclaimed, as I quickly waved and made my way towards her door and slipped on the pair of black flats that I had worn.

As soon as I had walked out of her apartment and closed the door behind me, I checked my cell phone again.

It said that the Hollow would be showing up at the Kurosaki Clinic! Kurosaki wouldn't know anything about it, because he doesn't have a pager and he really sucks at sensing these kinds of things. I growled as I focused reiatsu to my feet, deciding to use Shunpo to get there much faster. As I appeared in front of my apartment, I quickly rushed up the stairs to my room. I had to focus on trying to stop my hands from shaking as I inserted my key into the lock, and rushed inside.

I tried to find my Gikongan, also known as Soul Candy, which Urahara had given me earlier on. I found the Pez like panda dispenser sitting on my desk. I reached for it, jamming the head back and swallowing the bright green pill that popped into the air. In a rush, my soul was forced from my body.

Looking back, I saw the gikongan standing there awaiting my orders. I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair. "Stay in the apartment and don't come out. If there is danger, then run. In other words, you're free to do whatever you like. Just don't stuff your face with food, got that?"

The gikongan nodded, giving me a salute. "Got it, Jun-Sama~!"

I nodded, and immediately ran. My window was thrown open to let in the nice breeze, so I was able to jump out of it. Running on the air again, I made my way to the second story of the Kurosaki Clinic; my brain had told me that they'd be more likely to live in the upper half, with most of the lower portion being the actual clinic.

I chose to go into the room that was right across the street from my window, thinking that I'd start my search there. After all, I could still feel a bit of Hollow reiatsu coming from that room.

Apparently, my senses had been right. Standing in the middle of the room were Rukia and Kurosaki. Kurosaki was in his soul form, and Rukia was dressed in a pair of plaid pajamas.

However, the atmosphere was tense. I bet you couldn't even cut it with a knife, or should I say Zanpakuto?

Just what had I interrupted?


	8. Chapter Seven

• • •

"Ah, so I'm late?" I asked, as I jumped from my position on Kurosaki's window sill into his room. I lightly pouted, put off that I'd missed slaying me some Hollow.

"Yes, but we've got to hurry!" Rukia quickly exclaimed, turning towards me with a serious expression on her face. "The Hollow is going to go after Inoue-San!"

My eyes widened and I screamed in frustration. "What?! And I just came from there, too!"

"Come on… We've got to hurry!" Rukia insisted, "That girl is going to die!"

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" I urged, while I saw Rukia nod.

Rukia climbed onto Kurosaki's back, knowing that she wouldn't be able to keep up with us in soul form. I could feel his gaze on me, so I just jumped out of the window again. I stepped on mid-air, waiting for Kurosaki to catch up, and then we jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

"Hollows attack their families?!" Kurosaki asked, as he looked back at Rukia riding on his back and at me from the side. I guess that information had caused the tense moment that I had interrupted back at his house.

"Yes." Rukia said, while I felt my eyes become downcast. I never liked thinking about it in that light. It just never set well with me that a deceased family member could come back evil and kill off their own family members. Even though they were driven by instinct, it was still no excuse. This fact haunted my dreams, causing me to eventually become an insomniac.

"How come?" Kurosaki asked, confused. "Hollows eat souls because they're hungry, right? I thought that they attacked randomly?"

"Hollows attack ghosts and humans randomly…after they've eaten their own families." Rukia explained with a dark tone.

"No way," Kurosaki murmured, shocked.

"There's another thing, too. Hollows don't eat souls just because they're hungry. They eat souls to help ease their pain." I explained, turning my icy blue eyes to deeply stare into Kurosaki's cinnamon colored orbs. "Hollows are fallen souls; souls that were not admitted to the Soul Society by a Shinigami. They were souls that were left behind… Souls that weren't saved from other Hollows. These fall, lose their hearts, and become Hollows themselves. Right, Rukia?"

"Yes," Rukia nodded. "But the Hollow soul forever strives to fill the emptiness inside. It stalks the people that it loved most in life."

"You've heard of widows who soon follow their deceased to the grave, right?" I asked Kurosaki, who nodded. "Their lover ate their soul."

"Today when we saw Inoue, she had a bruise on her leg where a Hollow had grabbed her. That's why I asked about her family. You said that she had an older brother. If he was her only family, then I'm certain that he'll come for Inoue!" Rukia explained, serious once more.

"Then that means that we really need to hurry!" I urged.

"I know; we are going as fast as we can." Rukia said, turning her deep violet gaze towards me.

"No, we're not. Well, I know I'm not. I could have used Shunpo and been there already!" I insisted.

"Don't," Rukia advised, as she shook her head. "You need to conserve your energy. You might even need to release your Zanpakuto, if this gets bad enough. Although, I don't think it will turn that way. Or, I hope it doesn't."

"Fine." I said, willing my legs to move faster. This is why I hated being so short; I had a shorter running span. That's why I used Shunpo as much as I did. It was a way for me to cover ground quicker.

"Plus," Rukia trailed off, a smirk working its way onto her face, "We need to stick together. That way the two of you can work on your teamwork. Besides, Ichigo might get to see a real Shinigami in action..!"

"Che." Kurosaki huffed, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "I saw you fight off that Hollow before you lost your powers, Rukia."

"Yes, but…" Rukia spoke softly, and I could no longer hear the words due to the wind whipping past my ears from the speed that we were running at. "Jun's…a lot stronger than I am."

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Kurosaki's cinnamon eyes widen dramatically, as his head whipped in my direction. I felt his gaze on me, so I turned my gaze towards him as well, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh, yeah." Kurosaki spoke, as if he remembered what he was going to say. "Why don't you look like the other Shinigami? I mean, your kimono looks really different from Rukia's and mine."

I chuckled at his question while shaking my head. "Well, I just like this one better. Shinigami are allowed to customize their Shihakusho, which is the black kimono that you are talking about. However, many of them just stick with the traditional uniform. I guess you could say that I've never been too traditional, and this one suits my tastes much better. Besides, it's easier for me to move about in. That makes a difference." I explained, lightly tugging at the bottom hem of my short kimono-like dress. All of that was the truth; I did find it much easier to move in the top without the long pants. Besides, it was difficult trying to find a pair of hakama pants that didn't drag on the ground because of my little height problem.

Lost in my inner musings, I didn't notice that we had already made it to Orihime's apartment until Kurosaki skidded to a halt on its roof. We jumped down to the ground, where Kurosaki let Rukia get off of his back.

"How sad, Orihime!"

Kurosaki and I heard the scream at the same time, and immediately jumped up into the air and came in through Orihime's window. Kurosaki quickly withdrew his blade, and managed to block the Hollows attack; it was clear that he was trying to get Orihime. Without a second thought, my training had kicked in. I withdrew my own Zanpakuto and took a defensive position in front of Orihime.

My sharp eyes zeroed in on Kurosaki's blade, and I saw that he had blocked the Hollow's claw. There was a gash from where he had caught it, the wound lightly bleeding; however, that wasn't enough damage to slow it down.

"Kurosaki-Kun..? Jun-Chan..?" Orihime asked in a soft voice, as if she didn't believe her eyes. After all, this was probably one of the most traumatic moments in her life.

"You choose to interfere?" The Hollow asked, its voice deep and laced with malice.

"Sorry, but…" Kurosaki stated, looking up at the Hollow from behind his Zanpakuto. He was still blocking the claw. "That's my job."

"If you want to kill Orihime, then you better be prepared to kill us first!" I shouted, glaring up at the ugly Hollow in front of us. My grip on my Zanpakuto tightened and I was getting ready for whatever move the Hollow decided to make next.

All was quiet for a few moments. The Hollow wasn't making any sudden moves; it was just sitting there and staring at us. It was almost as if it was thinking up its own plans. I took this opportunity to look around and take in my surroundings.

Orihime's apartment was kind of small, I had seen that firsthand myself before the Hollow attack. So, we'd be forced to fight in a smaller area than I was used to. Tatsuki was lying injured on the floor not too far away. Her shoulder was sliced open and she was bleeding heavily. Although, it looked like she had passed out from pain or blood loss by now, which was a good thing. Not that much farther away was Orihime's body lying lifeless on the floor. Narrowing my eyes, I could clearly make out the shape of the dull metal chain that was connected to her body. It trailed across the floor, connecting to the Orihime standing behind me. Obviously, Orihime was in soul form.

Kurosaki looked around as well; I could see the confusion etched on his face. He obviously didn't know that normal people could be separated from their body, leaving them with a chain connected to their chest.

"Oh..! I thought so! It really is you, Kurosaki-Kun, Jun-Chan!" Orihime cried out from behind me, grinning wildly.

"How… Can you see me?" Kurosaki asked blankly, as he turned his stunned gaze from Orihime to me. It was almost like he was pleading for an answer.

"Huh…? Um, how?" Orihime asked, bringing her fingers to her mouth as if she were in deep thought about the question asked.

"Kurosaki…" I trailed off, not wanting to tell him what had really happened, but I knew I had to. "Orihime is-"

"Isn't it obvious? It's because that's her soul!" The Hollow spoke, appearing behind Kurosaki, who stiffened dramatically. "Too bad for you; Orihime is already dead!"

From the corner of my eye, I could see the Hollow flick its snake-like tail and send it flying towards Kurosaki. I grunted, narrowing my eyes as I used Shunpo and appeared in front of him. My Zanpakuto was raised, ready to slice the tail in half.

However, the tail was more snake-like that I had originally thought; it was covered in scales. Ankoku-Tatsu wasn't able to cut through the tail because of its slick slithering motion. Wincing, I could feel myself being pushed back into Kurosaki, who raised his own Zanpakuto up in front of both of us. But, it was to no avail. His Zanpakuto couldn't cut through the scales either. With another strong flick and push, Kurosaki and I were sent flying toward the wall. We broke through, coming to a skidding halt in mid-air.

I looked back towards Kurosaki, checking for any damage. He was mainly unscathed, except for a cut on his forehead that was bleeding. Looking over myself, I only found a cut on my forearm that was bleeding. We were still in good enough shape to take out the Hollow.

"What's wrong?" I heard the Hollow taunt from inside the apartment. It slithered over to the huge hole that we had busted through, peeking out at us. "You two Shinigami sure do talk tough, but you're both far too slow! Is it that much of a shock that Orihime's soul has been removed from her body?! Huh?! Kurosaki Ichigo and Kokawa Junko?!"

The Hollow then reared his head back, opening his large mouth. Something seemed to drip down in slow motion, before a large amount of, whatever the mysterious substance was, was sent flying towards us in the air. He had targeted Kurosaki, who was too slow to dodge. Another was sent flying towards me. I used my flash step and dodged it, only to look to my side towards Kurosaki.

"Acid..!" He hissed, as the attack connected with the back of his right hand. It burned his skin, causing him to drop his Zanpakuto in shock.

I could see the tail flying towards him, and he was unarmed! He wouldn't be able to block himself from the attack. "Kurosaki..!" I cried out, trying to warn the orange haired teen beside me.

The tail collided with his back, sending him flying towards the street below us. I growled, but my attention was soon diverted. The Hollow flung its tail towards me, as if it expected that I would be brought down as easily as Kurosaki was.

I brought Ankoku-Tatsu up to block the tail. Halfway through the attack, I changed the angle I held my sword, applying pressure in a different spot. As soon as I saw the gash begin to form on the tail, I knew my eyes had come alive with hope; I could cut it! The Hollow cried out in pain, retreating into the apartment once more.

"Rukia!" I called out to the dark haired girl, who was running towards the orange haired Shinigami. He was passed out from his hard impact with the concrete below him. Rukia stopped once she heard my voice, and turned to stare at me. "Make sure that Kurosaki's okay. I'm going to go see what's going on. It's too quiet in there; I'm getting a bad feeling."

I saw Rukia nod, which was all the conformation I needed to flash step up towards the hole in Orihime's apartment. Orihime was in the Hollows claw of a hand, but I was shocked to see it sit her down on the carpeted floors once more.

"I-Is it really y-you, S-Sora-Nii?" Orihime asked, eyes wide. The Hollow used its other claw like hand to push back some of the long black hair, to reveal a part of its face that wasn't covered by the Hollows mask.

"Yes; it is, Orihime." The Hollow spoke. "So you haven't forgotten."

"Why? Why… Why did you do horrible things to Tatsuki-Chan, Jun-Chan, and Kurosaki-Kun? Why..!" Orihime asked, sounding distraught.

"Why..? You know why!" The Hollow angrily cried out. I felt my hand unconsciously curl tighter around Ankoku-Tatsu's hilt, wondering if I needed to go in and intervene right then and there. "Those people… They tried to tear you and me apart!"

"H-Huh..?" Orihime asked, shocked into silence.

"After I died, you would pray for me every day. I was always watching. It made me so…happy. I had died, but… I felt that everything would be all right just from your prayers. But, a year or so after that, you became friends with that girl. Since then, I watched on as the days you prayed for me diminished! Then you entered high school. Kurosaki Ichigo appeared. You finally stopped praying for me all together! Before you'd leave, and when you'd come home, all you'd talk to me about was Kurosaki..! It was painful…seeing myself…disappear more and more each day from your heart!"

Kurosaki appeared right next to me, shooting me a look. I held up a finger, telling him to wait a moment and see where this was going to go. After all, observing the Hollow a little bit longer could tell us if it had any openings that we could plan an attack by.

"N-No! That's not true, Sora-Nii! I just…" Orihime tried to explain, but the Hollow wouldn't hear it.

"I was sad..! I was all alone, I was so lonely! So many times I just wanted… to kill!" I could sense the darkness of his reiatsu increase. It had seemed like he finally felt me and Kurosaki standing behind him.

Quickly, he flung his tail towards us again. It was too fast even for me to dodge with Shunpo, so we didn't stand a chance. Kurosaki and I collided, and were shoved towards the floor and pinned there.

"Kurosaki-Kun! Jun-Chan!" Orihime cried out in despair, as the Hollow wrapped his large claws around her once more.

"Now, let's go, Orihime. Let's go back to the time when it was just the two of us."

"Why..?" Orihime asked, as her eyes were downcast. Her bangs covered her eyes, probably hiding the tears. "If you were sad, you should have said so. Why did you hurt Kurosaki-Kun, Jun-Chan, and Tatsuki-Chan..? Why, Sora-Nii..? The brother I loved…would never do anything like this!"

I could literally feel the Hollows anger rise. In a flash, it had moved its claw so that it was wrapped around Orihime's neck. One of its large fingers was wrapped around her mouth; it wasn't going to allow her to speak anymore.

"I'll kill you..! Who do you think turned me into this?! It was you, Orihime! I'll kill you! I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you!" The Hollow roared.

Kurosaki looked like he was seeing red; I don't think I had ever seen him so serious and angry in the entire time that I had known him. Just seeing him that serious seemed to make something connect inside of me, as I raised Ankoku-Tatsu and easily sliced through the Hollow's tail. Kurosaki stood up as well, quickly slicing through the Hollow's wrist. Its hand fell to the ground, freeing Orihime.

"Do you know why the big brother is born first..?" Kurosaki asked, his teeth grinding together out of anger. "It's to protect the little brothers and sisters that come after him!"

I blinked at his words, not knowing that he could be so serious. I ran over towards Orihime, who was struggling to sit up from the Hollow's discarded claw. I helped her sit up, then took another defensive stance in front of her. She was still this Hollow's target, even if its attention was on Kurosaki for the moment.

"What kind of brother says that he'll kill his own sister?!" Kurosaki yelled out in anger, as he pointed his large Zanpakuto straight at the Hollow. "You never ever say something like that!"

"Kurosaki-Kun, Jun-Chan…" Orihime trailed off, looking at both of our backs in admiration. We were risking everything just to protect her. And Kurosaki, the man she admired the most, was giving his all just to help her.

"Why?! Why do you both interfere, Kurosaki Ichigo and Kokawa Junko?!" The Hollow roared out in pain, as tears of thick red blood trailed down its pure white mask. "When I was fifteen, my sister was born. She was more like a daughter to me than a sister. Our mother was a whore, our father a devil. When a child would cry, they would hit it until it stopped. That's the kind of people they were. I hid her, quieted her cries, so they wouldn't hear. In March, when I was eighteen, I … took my three year old sister, and fled that cursed house. Since then, we've always lived together! Just the two of us, forever! I am the one that raised Orihime! I'm the one who protected her! She's mine! I won't give her to anyone! Especially not you, Kurosaki Ichigo! I won't give her to you!"

The Hollow then lunged towards Kurosaki, who was ready to block the attack with his Zanpakuto.

"Sora-Nii!" Orihime cried out in horror, watching as he gained on Kurosaki.

"Orihime, just watch." I advised, looking down at the scared auburn haired teenager. "Kurosaki can handle this. Just have faith in him."

I motioned in front of us, drawing her attention towards Kurosaki and the Hollow. She gasped as she saw Kurosaki's sword blocking the Hollow's teeth.

"Don't be stupid. Inoue is Inoue. She…doesn't belong to anyone!" Kurosaki grunted, glaring at the Hollow. He was struggling against the Hollows strength, both were quivering.

"She's mine! Her soul is mine! I lived for her, but she…won't live for me! Then at least…she must die for me!"

With a sudden surge of raw strength, the Hollow turned his head towards the left. Knocking Kurosaki's Zanpakuto away from its mouth, it made a beeline straight towards Orihime and me. I raised Ankoku-Tatsu, ready to slice through that stupid Hollow's mask. However, I wasn't ready for what happened next.


	9. Chapter Eight

• • •

"Stop!" Kurosaki yelled, his eyes widening as he watched helplessly as the Hollow headed straight for Orihime and I.

I was so focused on the Hollow, I didn't expect Orihime to try and shove me out of the way. My guard was down at my back, which allowed her to actually shove me out of her way, as she took the brunt of the Hollows attack as I tumbled to the floor.

"Orihime!" I yelled out, angered that she'd do such a thing. I was supposed to protect her, even if I was the one getting injured! She wasn't supposed to sacrifice herself!

I winced at the sight before me; the Hollow had succeeded in landing a bite on Orihime, covering from her shoulder to mid-chest. Her arms were wrapped around the Hollow's large head, almost as if she was hugging it.

"Inoue..!" Kurosaki muttered, as he made his way closer. He held a hand out to me, which I shakily took as he pulled me to my feet. We both watched in horror as Orihime's legs gave way and her knees met the ground.

"Ori…Hime?" The Hollow asked, shocked. Its eyes were wide in shock, as it stuttered her name over and over.

"I'm sorry, Sora-Nii." Orihime spoke, choking slightly over her words. "I…wanted you to hear all the fun things that happened at school, the things I like, the people I like… At the beginning, all I did way pray every day. But, I thought that that wasn't doing any good. That I shouldn't just show you me being sad… that you would worry if that's all you saw. That's why I wanted to show you! That I'm happy! That you don't have to worry about me!" Orihime's voice was strong, before beginning to quiver slightly as she looked down once more after meeting the Hollow's eyes. It had released her from its mouth not too long ago, but the damage was already done. "But… That was making you sad… I didn't even realize… Sora-Nii… I'm sorry for making you sad. I love you…"

Using up all of her strength to form those words, Orihime grew limp and fell onto the floor. Her name was called from everyone; the Hollow, Kurosaki, and me, all at the same time.

"Don't panic! She can still be saved!" Rukia exclaimed as she finally found her way into the apartment from its front door. Orihime's apartment was like mine; it was on the second floor. In her human form, Rukia wouldn't be able to jump into the apartment like Kurosaki and I had. So she had to take the long way around and find her way in. "The 'Chain of Fate' on her chest hasn't been broken yet! As long as that is connected to the body, the spirit isn't dead! Jun or I can still use our Kido to save her!"

"Orihime, Orihime!" The Hollow cried out as it slithered over towards her fallen body and leaned over it. Rukia and I rushed over to her, yelling at the Hollow to get out of our way. We needed room in order to heal her; I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate with a Hollow looking over my shoulder, and I doubt Rukia would have been able to either.

I straightened out her body, laying her down on her back. Looking up towards Rukia, I gave her a questioning look. Did she want to heal Orihime, or did she want me to? Before any more time could pass, I decided that I was going to heal her so Rukia wouldn't have to exhaust her, still drained, reiatsu. I ran over the proper incantations in my mind, watching as my hand started to glow a bright green. Lowering my hand to her wound, I watched as it slowly started to heal itself.

"Orihime, I knew…" The Hollow began, watching me heal its sister. "I knew that you stopped praying so you wouldn't worry me, but I didn't want you to stop. When you were praying…your heart was all mine."

"You… What are you looking at?" Kurosaki asked as he slung his Zanpakuto over his shoulder. "Her hairpins, weren't those a present from you? Inoue told me about them. She told me that they were the first present from her brother. That's why she wears them every day."

From the corners of my eyes, I could see the Hollow turn towards us once more, staring down at Orihime. Its eyes widened once they locked onto the small flowerlike hairpins that Orihime was wearing in her hair.

"It's the same," I began speaking, causing everyone in the room to turn their attention on me. "Those that die and those that survive are both just as sad as the other. Those that get left behind feel so alone. You were caught up in your own loneliness that you forgot all about hers."

"I never noticed," The Hollow softly spoke. Its head was turned towards the floor, before it slightly bobbed. Turning, it slithered over towards Kurosaki and wrapped its claw around his Zanpakuto.

"Hey! What are you…?" Kurosaki asked, surprised once the Hollow grabbed his Zanpakuto. Even furthering his surprise, the Hollow used the tip of the sword to break his own mask. As its mask chipped away and fell towards the floor, Kurosaki's eyes widened. "Why did you do it?"

"It's fine," The Hollow spoke. His human face appeared, looking over everyone. "If I stay like this, I'll someday once again lose myself and come after Orihime. That's why, right now, while I have regained a small part of myself… I want to disappear."

"But why..?! You don't have-"

Kurosaki was then cut off by Rukia, "Ichigo! His decision is correct. Once you become a Hollow you will never revert back! Let him disappear!"  
"Rukia!" Kurosaki exclaimed, shocked.

"It's all right, Kurosaki." I said, "You shouldn't worry. 'Cutting' a Hollow is not the same as 'Killing' them. Cutting them with the Zanpakuto washes away their sins, so they can go to the Soul Society."

"That's why Shinigami exist!" Rukia summed up, smiling.

The Hollow once more slid over towards Orihime, "Then goodbye, Orihime."

"Sora-Nii, have a nice day…" Orihime whispered, smiling up at the face of her brother as he finally disappeared. His slowly disappearing form looked shocked at first, but then soon sent a smile down to his little sister. And then, he vanished.

"He's gone." Kurosaki stated, as we all looked outside of the hole in Orihime's apartment. The moon and stars shone brightly from above, and everything finally seemed peaceful.

"Gone," Orihime echoed, as she sat up.

"How are your wounds?" Kurosaki asked, as he eyed the major improvement that my Kido had performed.

"Oh, yeah..! But, never mind that!" Orihime spoke, her eyes wide as she turned to face Kurosaki and me. "I have tons of questions I want to ask-"

Orihime was cut off when Rukia placed what looked like a lighter in front of her face, causing her to go cross-eyed staring at it. When Rukia pushed the button down, instead of a flame, a small explosion ensued as a little cartoon bird head bobbed back and forth on a spring. Orihime's face turned completely blank as she fell back on the floor.

"Inoue!" Kurosaki exclaimed, worried for his friend. After all, she looked like she was a zombie right now. He turned towards Rukia with a shocked expression on his face. "What did you do?!"

"Kiokuchikan, also known as memory replacement." Rukia explained as she showed the little lighter looking thing to Kurosaki and I. "It erases her memory of this event and substitutes it with a new one. We can't have her telling others about this."

"Kiokuchikan?" Kurosaki asked, looking at Rukia and me with a blank face.

"Yes." Rukia nodded.

"But I heard that you can't choose the new memories. They're completely random and different depending on the person it's used on." I stated, kneeling next to Rukia as she used it on Tatsuki as well, just in case she had seen anything. "This is the first time I've actually seen one."

"Random?" Kurosaki asked, as he placed his hand to his chin in thought.

"If you don't understand then wait until tomorrow." Rukia said, smiling.

• • •

"It's true!" Orihime exclaimed, her eyes wide. "A sumo wrestler really came into my room and shot a bazooka at the wall!"

The other girls in the classroom had blank looks on their faces. It was clear that they didn't believe a word that she said.

"You and your imagination…" Kunieda Ryo, a long dark haired girl from our class, said as she sighed. She returned to her lunch like this happened every day. Which I'm sure it might.

"That childlike mind of yours is really cute, Hime-Chan!" Honsho Chizuru said, while smiling and giggling at Orihime.

"But it really happened! Didn't it, Tatsuki-Chan?!" Orihime asked, lightly tugging on Tatsuki's skirt to get her attention.

Tatsuki looked a bit confused, but nodded her head slowly. "Um, yeah."

"What?! You saw it too, Tatsuki?!" They all yelled, looking at each other with wide eyes.

"Okay," Kurosaki muttered, a weird expression on his face that caused me to laugh. "I get it now. You used it on my family the other day, right?"

"Yep, I did!" Rukia proudly said, a hand on her hip as she smiled.

"It worked out well, didn't it?" He asked, sighing.

"It sure did," I spoke, nodding. "Although, I'm still a bit sore over the fact that the Soul Society won't give me one of those memory things."

"You'll get one when you're an official Shinigami." Rukia said as if it were no big deal as we made our way up towards the roof of the school for lunch.

"You mean that you're not an official Shinigami?" Kurosaki asked, turning towards me.

"Nope, I told you I was only a Substitute Shinigami. Like you are, kind of. Besides, I can't become and official Shinigami until I die. And I'm not ready to die yet. I've still got things that I want to do." I explained, and then shook my head. "Anyways, let's go and eat lunch already."


	10. Chapter Nine

• • •

"Wow," Kurosaki stated, his hand once more on his forehead as he felt around for any trace of his previous injury. "Those wounds sure healed up cleanly…"

"Surprised?" Rukia asked as she swallowed a bite of her lunch, "What did you expect? My Kido grades were top of the class. Healing wounds like that is nothing."

"Yeah, but my Kido grades were higher." I taunted her, smirking. I knew that it ticked her off that I was better at Kido than she was. Kido was like her specialty. She was known for her Kido skill when she was still in the Academy. Besides, she had stayed in the Academy longer than I had. I was just a natural at controlling my reiatsu.

"Grades?" Kurosaki asked, looking in-between Rukia and I. "What? There's a Shinigami school?"

"Hm, well something like that." Rukia mused, as she then began to dig in her bag that she brought with her up to the roof. "Anyway, Ichigo, Jun… How do I drink this?" She asked, holding a juice box out towards Kurosaki and me with an aggravated look on her face.

"Huh?" I asked, hoping that she was joking.

Kurosaki sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Just poke the straw in."

"Straw?" Rukia questioned, raising an eyebrow. Her gaze fell on me, observing as I drunk from my own juice box. "Is that the straw, Jun?"

"Yeah, see? It's just on the side of the box." I explained, as I pointed to the straw that was attached to her own juice. "You just pull it off and stick it in the top of the juice box."

While I was talking Rukia through the process of putting a straw in her juice box, I didn't notice the others arriving until I heard Rukia's and my name called.

"Hi Kuchiki-San, Kokawa-San!"

I looked around to see who had called my name, and my gaze fell onto a familiar face. I knew he was a friend of Kurosaki's; I had seen him around him more than a few times. He had somewhat short and pointy black hair.

"Hi, Mizuiro-San." I said, lightly waving at the newcomer.

"Hello, Mizuiro-San." Rukia copied me. She was probably relieved that I had known his name. I knew she was horrible at remembering all of these students; remember the time where she didn't know who Orihime was at the park?

"Bingo! You both remembered my name, even though we haven't been properly introduced!" Mizuiro exclaimed as he shot a smile in our direction. "I'm Kojima Mizuiro, age fifteen! Nice to meet you ! My hobby is-"

"Womanizing." Kurosaki spoke, cutting Mizuiro off.

"Huh?! N-No it's not! You're horrible!" Mizuiro exclaimed, shocked, as he wildly waved his arms around.

"Watch out you two. He may look like a dork, but he's a real player." Kurosaki advised, pointing at Mizuiro. I was kind of wondering what he was talking about. I mean, yeah. Mizuiro was adorable. But, he wasn't my type. Did I even have a type? Well, I knew it wasn't adorable men.

"Stop it~!" Mizuiro whined, frowning. "You're ruining my reputation. Besides, I'm only interested in older girls! All girls my age are safe!"

"Like I said, watch out." Kurosaki advised as he took a sip from his juice box. Rukia's eyes bugged out as she turned to look at me and I had to fight to hold my laughter in, slapping a hand over my mouth.

"Huh?" Mizuiro asked, looking up at Kurosaki with a curious expression; poor thing probably felt like he was left out of something. Which he was.

"Forget it," Kurosaki advised.

"What's up? Mind if I join you guys?" I recognized the voice and had to restrain from twitching. Keigo.

"Hey, Keigo." Kurosaki said, looking up at his friend who was walking over. He hadn't spotted Rukia or me yet, so maybe we could make a quick escape..?

"Hmm? Chad's not here?" He asked, looking around for the tall, dark student.

"Nope." Kurosaki spoke, as if it was just brought to his attention.

"Oh, yeah. I haven't seen him." Mizuiro added.

"That's weird. Where'd he go?" Keigo asked, turning his head to look around properly.

Dang it; I knew I had been spotted.

"Whoa! Are those the two beautiful new girls?!" Keigo yelled, even though it was clear that nobody was going to answer his question. "What brings you two here?!"

"Ichigo picked them up and brought them here." Mizuiro stated, pointing at the strawberry.

"Idiot… No, I-"

"What?! Ichigo!" Keigo exclaimed, as tears began running down his face. He gave the berry a thumbs up as a huge grin stretched across his face, "Good job~!"

"Oh… yeah…" Kurosaki muttered, a deadpan expression on his face. "So happy you're crying…"

"Um, hello?" Rukia said, a bit of a questioning tone to her voice. I forced a smile, lightly waving towards the light brown haired teen.

"I'm Asano! Welcome to this place of men!" Keigo exclaimed, posing with a salute. "Now, today's lunch is a party!"

"With coffee, juice, and a sandwich?" Mizuiro asked.

"Shut up!" Keigo argued back, not noticing a small group of three other students approach him from behind. One of them caught his attention by kneeing him in the back. I inwardly cheered, finding his pain amusing. "Whoa?!" He exclaimed, "Oww! What are you…do-"

"Yo, Kurosaki." I twitched at the new guy's voice. He was trying to sound all tough and gangster like. It was horrible. Not to mention his hair was the same color as Kurosaki's; although I could tell that he had dyed his hair, whereas Kurosaki's was natural… Or so I think.

"O-Ooshima…!" Keigo stuttered, "They lifted your suspension…?"

"I'm not talking to you," Ooshima decided, throwing Keigo out of his way so he could get closer to Kurosaki. "Hey, Kurosaki? When are you gonna dye your hair? With that bleached hair and drooping eyes, you're copying me."

Gross. He just admitted to styling his hair like that on purpose. How would anyone find a bleached orange afro attractive? Besides, he was giving piercings a bad name. I almost wanted to take my own piercings out, not that I would just because of him.

"Shut up." Kurosaki growled, "How many times do I have to tell you, this is my natural color. And I ain't copying you. Do something about your own hair, you chicken head. Lay any eggs lately?"

"Chick…! You bastard!" Ooshima yelled, obviously angered.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Keigo spoke, shoving himself in-between Kurosaki and Ooshima, as if he was trying to block a fight from happening. "Let's not fight. Okay?"

"Get lost, Asano!" Ooshima ordered, "I'm gonna kick that idiot's ass!"

"Come on, let us go! We all know how strong you are! We can't beat you, Ooshima!" Keigo said, trying to sweet talk his way out of this.

"Don't be stupid," Kurosaki stated, standing up and crossing his arms. "I'm a thousand times stronger than that baby chicken."

"Ichigo! I'm trying to stop this!" Keigo cried out, tears spilling out of his eyes as he tried to hold Ooshima back.

"Heh, as I thought." Ooshima said, backing away from Keigo. He then stuck his hands into the inside of his shirt, "I knew one day I'd have to settle things with you for good. This is perfect; right here, right now. I'm gonna kick your arse!" He exclaimed, withdrawing his hand. He was wearing a pair of brass knuckles.

"B-Brass knuckles?!" Keigo asked, petrified. "Wait, Ooshima!"

Kurosaki and Mizuiro were just standing there with dumbfounded looks on their faces, probably like the look on my face. I couldn't believe that he just said 'kick your arse' without anybody making fun of that. I looked over towards Rukia and saw that she wasn't paying a bit of attention either; she was still trying to figure out how to drink from her juice box..!

"Hehe, it's too late to apolo…" Ooshima was then grabbed by his hand, and thrown through the air. "…gize?!"

Ooshima landed meters away, and even then he began to skid the rest of the way across the roof. His two lackeys took off and followed him, crying out his name.

"Chad!" Keigo exclaimed, as the said teen [although he looked more like an adult than the rest of us] raised a bandaged hand in greeting. "Be more careful, you could've killed Ooshima! You did save us, though."

"Mm." Chad hummed; he wasn't one that was big on words.

"You're….injured?" Kurosaki asked, eyeing the bandages wrapped around his friends hand and a Band-Aid on his tanned cheek. "What happened?"

"…My head…" He spoke, pausing to point at his head, "From yesterday. A steel beam fell from above."

"Steel beam?!" All of us chorused together, eyes wide.

"My hand and stuff is from when I went to buy bread… I collided with a motorcycle."

"What the hell are you doing?!" Kurosaki bellowed, eyes wide.

"And… The guy on the bike was seriously injured, so… I took him to the hospital…" Chad explained.

"S-So, that's why you were late." Keigo stated, sweat dropping.

"What kind of body do you have there?" Kurosaki muttered, "Damn iron body…"

I couldn't help but gaze up at Chad in wonder. He was abnormally huge. But he wasn't fat by any means. No, it was all muscle. He towered over me by a couple of feet, easily.

Chad went to sit down with our group, but he first removed whatever was behind his shoulder. I only noticed the strap when he first appeared, and took it as a backpack or something. However, when he took it off of his shoulder and sat it down, we all came eye to eye with a birdcage.

"Oh? What's with the bird?" Keigo asked, as he put his hands on his knees and bent down to get a better look at it.

The cage was close to my eye level, so I immediately got a good look at it. I smiled at the bird; I could easily recognize it because one of my foster parents had one when I was younger. "Ah, it's a parakeet!"

"Hello! My name is Shibata Yuuichi! What are your names?" The parakeet asked, perfectly. It almost sounded like a human speaking; it didn't sound like a bird at all. Kurosaki instantly tensed up, looking at the bird with edgy eyes. He obviously could sense the spirit within the bird.

"Oh! Wow, he speaks so well!" Keigo complimented. "My name is Asano Keigo! Say it? Asano?"

"Chad, where'd you get that parakeet?" Kurosaki asked as Keigo talked to the bird; who was making fun of him. You know it's sad when you get mocked by a bird.

Chad raised a finger, implying that he was going to say something important. "…Yesterday…" He paused for a bit, "…I got it."

"Hey!" Keigo yelled, dramatically pointing at the man made of iron. "You quit the explanation because it was too much work, didn't you?! That's a bad habit! Tell us!"

"I…I did not."  
"Yes, you did!"

While the little argument was going on, Kurosaki was still tensely staring at the small parakeet.

"Don't worry." Rukia advised Kurosaki, "Something is inside of it, but it's nothing evil."

"Yeah, it's probably nothing more than a lonely soul." I added, nodding my head as I smiled towards the parakeet.

"Though it could become a Hollow if left alone." Rukia further explained. "It would be wise to perform a Konso [send to the Soul Society] tonight."

"Roger," Kurosaki replied, taking a sip from his juice box. "There goes more of my sleeping time."

"No complaining..!" Rukia scolded him like a mother would a child.

I was actually surprised that Kurosaki had noticed the spirit inside of the bird. Then he immediately started worrying about what would happen if the spirit changed into a Hollow. He seems to be taking the Shinigami job more seriously than I thought he would. He even accepted it better than I did when I was younger. Kurosaki does seem to be acting very mature about this whole situation… Much more mature than the way I handled it when I was younger.

"Come on, Jun. It's time to go back to class!" Rukia said with a smile, as she offered me a hand up.

"Yeah, okay." I nodded, grabbing her hand and accepting her help up. It was nice to be surrounded by people that I could call friends. Rukia reminded me that I wasn't going to be alone anymore, not ever again. I would protect those that I held dear to me with all that I had. That was my goal as a Shinigami.

And these fellow humans… they were growing on me.


	11. Chapter Ten

• • •

Heavily sighing, I glared at the homework that sat on my desk before me. It was almost taunting me; rather, all of the other objects in my apartment were, wanting me not to finish the Japanese history worksheet in front of my face. My bright blue orbs zeroed in on the questions, as I made a vow to finish them. With a sigh, I caved and read through the first question. Lightly tapping the eraser of my pencil against my desk to the beat of the music blaring through my radio, I had to admit; I was completely distracted.

Blowing my bangs out of my eyes, I shook my head.

 _What famous battle occurred-_

I blinked, my eyes widening. That reiatsu; that was the reiatsu of a Hollow. It was so strong. Especially considering the fact that my phone hadn't gone off with any orders.

Flustered, I rushed about my apartment as I tried to find my gikongan. I found it on my nightstand, and I quickly swallowed the bright green pill.

"Paku, I want you to stay here. Stay safe, as well. If there is danger, I want you to run." I instructed the gikongan, whom I had recently decided to name Paku.

"Yes, Junko-Sama~!" Paku happily replied, saluting me as she watched me phase through the walls and run out of the apartment. Countless times I had asked her to drop all of the formalities, but she always refused. I hated –Sama being added to my name; it made me feel old.

Suppressing a shudder, I phased though the walls into Kurosaki's bedroom. "Rukia!" I exclaimed, seeing her sitting on the edge of his bed.

I had offered for her to stay with me in my apartment across the street, but she refused. Rukia said that it was for the best if she stayed here; that way, if a Hollow appeared, she could get Kurosaki to go and eliminate it. So, it wasn't a shock to me at all when I saw her just lounging in his bedroom.

"You felt that too, Jun?" Rukia asked, as she crossed her arms. Her deep violet eyes flashed at her words, showing how serious the situation seemed to be.

"Yes," I nodded. "It was definitely a Hollow that I felt. But what I don't get is that my phone hasn't gone off. I've checked and re-checked, and still no orders."

"Rukia..!" Kurosaki yelled as he threw the door to his room open. His cinnamon brown eyes landed on me, widening. "Jun..?"

"Of course it's me," I said, lightly rolling my eyes. "With you running up here, I'm guessing that you felt that as well?"

Kurosaki nodded his head, about to respond until Rukia cut him off.

"I felt it even from this room. I didn't sense anything from the parakeet, but Chad's wounds reek of Hollow!"

I blinked, feeling the tension in the room. "So, what do we do now?"

"We need to keep an eye out for the Hollow. I know that you can sense them well, so I need you to keep an extra eye out for them. Contact us if you sense anything different." Rukia explained, "Other than that, there's nothing we can do until the Hollow shows up. Then the Soul Society will send a page for it."

"You mean there's nothing we can do?!" Kurosaki bellowed, eyes wide.

"No," I sighed. "Rukia's right. There's nothing else we can do but wait. Even if that does seem like the worst option."

• • •

"Jeeze, I hate mornings with a passion." I mumbled to myself, bringing my hand up to block the yawn that tore from my lips. I was slowly trudging towards school; dreading each step my feet took my closer to that torture chamber.

Why did I hate mornings? I had a feeling I knew why.

I could never sleep at night. Each time I tried, I would close my eyes and see their deaths, over and over, again. Wincing, I bit my lip and clenched my eyes shut as those memories flashed though my brain once more.

"Junko!"

I literally jumped feet into the air, my hand clenched onto the gray fabric of my uniform top as I tried to steady my heart. I swear it had almost leapt out of my chest.

"Jeeze, Kurosaki! What is it?!" I yelled, still trying to calm my racing heart. I wasn't expecting to be brought of my painful revere by my name being screamed so close to my ear.

"Where's Chad? Have you seen him?!" Kurosaki asked, lightly grabbing ahold of my shoulders and bending down to stare into my eyes.

I blinked, surprised. "Chad? No, I haven't seen him… Why?! What happened?!"

"He ran away from the Clinic!" Kurosaki said, lightly panting from all of the running that he had already done while he searched for his friend. "We have no clue where he's at!"

"Have you checked the school? If I remember correctly, he always shows up at least ten minutes early." I asked, my eyes skimming towards the sky as I tried to recall the information.

"Yes, he's not there! Nobody else had seen him, either!" He explained.

"Ichigo! Jun!" Rukia called, as she ran over towards us from the other direction.

"Rukia, did you find any traces of him?" Kurosaki asked, turning his attention towards the dark haired ex-Shinigami.

"Nope; how about your way?" She asked.

"No," He replied, shaking his orange head.

"Well, there's nothing from the Soul Society about any recent Hollow activity." I said as I checked my phone again. "There's nothing showing up on my radar, either."

"I know. Besides, in the first place, Hollows hide between the dimensions of this world and the Soul Society when they are not doing something evil. So we will only be able to sense it when it enters here to attack Chad!" Rukia explained.

"That's why Shinigami must wait for orders from the Soul Society to attack." I said, as I put my phone back into my bag. "However, some Shinigami can sense the Hollow before it materializes if they are close to its surfacing point. Although most of the time they're usually far away, so it's much more difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the Hollow; especially if you aren't receiving any help from the Soul Society."

"Chad is being targeted by a Hollow! It'll be too late if we act only after he's been attacked..! I've gotta do something!" Kurosaki muttered, as he paced and held his head in his hands.

"Well," I mused, racking my brain to think of anything plausible. "Theoretically, it might be possible to trace the spiritual aura within the parakeet that Chad had, but it'd be extremely difficult. No, more likely, it's probably not even possible in the first place."

"Of course!" Kurosaki exclaimed, turning to stare at me. I could see the light shining behind his eyes; hope.

"Wait! That's not possible-" Rukia tried to speak.

"All right, I'll try it!" Kurosaki spoke, nodding his head as he completely ignored Rukia.

Standing completely still, Kurosaki ceased all of his moments. Closing his deep cinnamon eyes, I gasped when I felt the spiritual pressure in the air thicken. It wasn't hard to breathe, like it would be if a Taicho released their reiatsu; no, this was more like a reiatsu that strayed to my shoulder blades and pinned me down. Looking over at Rukia, I could see that she was surprised as well. In fact, she couldn't really take being in such heavy reiatsu for much longer.

I gasped, taking in a gulp of air, as the reiraku appeared. White ribbons seemed to materialize from the reiatsu Kurosaki had released into the air. The spirit ribbons twisted, almost like an eerie wind was blowing them around. Some caressed my skin, feeling soft like silk.

Instantly, Kurosaki's hand darted in front of my face; clutching onto a white ribbon that had been twirling around me. "Found him!"

Blinking like a deer caught in the headlights, I numbly felt myself nod. Kurosaki gently tugged the ribbon away from me, smirking at his accomplishment. "This way!"

"O-Okay!" Rukia and I stuttered, running after Kurosaki who had instantly zeroed in on the parakeets reiraku.

I couldn't believe it! That was reiraku; the ability to visualize a spirits aura. Only higher level Shinigami are able to accomplish it. Mainly, because the technique requires so much reiatsu, along with a high level of concentration. After all of my years of training, I had never seen it done properly before. I have never been able to do that.

And that spirit in that parakeet… The human part of the soul and the birds own soul was so thoroughly mixed together last time we saw it. Because of that, it would greatly intensify the ability to actually find it; its own existence would be so unclear..!

I have to admit, Kurosaki is very impressive. He's grown much more than I would have expected him to. And in such a short amount of time, too! He has mastered skills that I haven't even been able to master…

Seeing a dark blur, my eyes zeroed in on it. "There he is!"  
"It's Chad!" Kurosaki yelled, his feet pounding even quicker across the pavement as he pushed himself to run faster.

Chad heard and saw us, his dark eyes widening underneath his mess of dark curls. Quickly turning into the intersection before us, he turned and ran away from us, his back facing us.

"Idiot, why are you running away?!" Kurosaki bellowed, "It's dangerous by yourself...!"

"…Ichi-Nii…"

Kurosaki froze, his body rigid. He spun around and his eyes widened. "Karin! Wha-What happened to you?! You look like you can barely stand..!"

As soon as those words left his lips, the small dark haired girl fell to the ground with a muted thump.

"Karin!" Kurosaki yelled, gritting his teeth as he ran over to his little sister. Kneeling down, he gently picked her up and placed her head in his lap. She was out; looking as cold as ice. Her face was pale, and covered in sweat.

It was obvious that this was going to be problematic.


	12. Chapter Eleven

• • •

"Karin..!" Kurosaki screamed, as he watched his dark haired little sister tumble towards the concrete. As he rushed to her, I bit my lip; thinking. Sighing, I knew what had to be done.

"Kurosaki!" I yelled, satisfied when his deep cinnamon eyes found mine. "You should take her home already. Rukia and I will follow him!"

"Wha? What are you talking about? You guys can't…"

"Don't complain!" Rukia barked, cutting Kurosaki off. "It would be a problem for us if she were left here. That would distract your mind from the fight."

Kurosaki hesitated, turning to face his sister.

"If you understand, then just go! Got it?!" I asked, narrowing my eyes towards him in what I hoped looked like a confident and fierce look.

"Do you think that you can handle it on your own, Jun?" Kurosaki asked, not facing us. "Because…Rukia, your power to fight Hollows still hasn't come back, has it? So, don't push yourselves too hard…"

"Idiot," I hissed out, smirking. "As if we'd let you worry about us."

"Jun's correct, you know." Rukia nodded, smiling. Turning towards me, she tugged on my arm. "Now, let's hurry!"

Yelling a quick, "See ya!" over our shoulders, we took off in the direction that we had just seen Chad take off towards.

Not too long after we began running, we caught a glimpse of Chad again. However, he was way too quick for us to catch up to him. Especially when we were both limited by bodies; me by my human body and Rukia by her gigai.

"Damn it," I seethed, as I pushed my legs to go faster. "Chad's way too fast!"

"I know! I can't keep up in this gigai!" Rukia spoke, panting from the intense run we were having.

As if in slow motion, things considerably seemed to dwindle down. Then, I felt it. With the entire fiber of my being, I could sense the dark reiatsu of the Hollow that had been chasing after Chad the whole time. It was worse up close; much more potent than what clung to Chad's wound.

Turning my head towards Rukia, I could see that she didn't sense the Hollow; at least, not yet. But the worst case scenario happed: the Hollow appeared behind Rukia..!

"Watch out!" I called out, eyes wide.

"You two smell nice..!" The Hollow spoke; its voice dark and spine tingling. "You've both got very tasty scents… Let me eat those souls of yours!"

"Rukia...!" I screeched, seeing Rukia get slapped to the concrete of the street. She was too focused on chasing Chad around; she didn't have her back guarded well enough. She couldn't have even begun to try and dodge the Hollows attack.

Luckily, Rukia was able to skid to a halt. Although, I bet she probably got a bad case of road rash on her palms and knees.

"Heh, you didn't die from one hit." The Hollow observed. "Huh..? You're really something. Plus, it seems like the two of you can see me. What in the world are you two?"

Before I could tell her not to, Rukia jumped and kneed the Hollow underneath its mask. Her hand grabbed onto the upper portion of the mask, and she nimbly pushed herself further up in the air.

"Dominator! Mask of flesh and blood, all living beings, fluttering! That which has the name human! Truth and temperance! Slightly imbed your claws into the walls of innocent dreams! Hado thirty three! Sokatsui~!"

Rukia could fire it..! The Kido spell was successful! That had to mean that some of her Shinigami powers were returning; even if it was occurring slowly.

Although, something about the spell felt a little bit…off?

The smoke from the blast quickly cleared away, making all of our eyes widen: not even a scratch was left on the Hollow!

"Get outta there, Rukia!" I screamed. Again, it had looked like the Hollow was moving in slow motion; I could see that it was going to attack her.

Rukia's eyes widened at my words. She barely had enough time to dodge; and she didn't come out of it unscathed. Some part of the Hollow had managed to cut her upper arm, even through the school uniforms jacket top, which was pretty thick.

"Hehe, I recognize that spell just now… It's Shinigami magic..! Am I right!? But yours is so weak I didn't even feel a thing!" The Hollow roared, laughing at Rukia's pathetic attempt to wound it. I grit my teeth, rushing over to Rukia who was still kneeling and holding the wound on her upper arm. "So you were a Shinigami. Then that explains why your scent is so tasty. And I bet the other one is a weakened Shinigami, too! Ah, Shinigami. Just that word brings back good memories. You know, I have eaten two Shinigami who have come to send that brat to the afterlife. They tasted the best!"

"You said, 'That brat.' Do you mean the spirit inside of that parakeet, Yuuichi Shibata?" I asked, narrowing my icy blue eyes at the disgusting Hollow.

"Yep," The Hollow spoke, as if it were proud of the answer.

"It seems that you're persistently chasing that brat around… Why?" Rukia asked, glaring at the Hollow as well.

"Who knows? I'll tell you if you both quietly let me eat you…" The Hollow cooed, pointing straight at Rukia and me.

"You bastard!" I screamed, my glare darkening. "Rukia, quick. Shinigami me..!"

Rukia nodded, quickly trying to pull the glove from out of her pocket. As soon as it was on her hand, the Hollow had her pinned to the wall. Before I could blink, I was pinned to the same wall by its other claw.

"Heh…you're both so weak. Are you guys both really Shinigami? Why don't you two shed that human shell? Eh?"

Before Rukia or I could send back a sarcastic comment, Chad had appeared before my face and tried to punch the Hollow. Surprisingly, his hit landed. The Hollow fell to the ground in agony from the punch, successfully releasing both of us.

"Did I…hit him?" Chad asked, still holding his fist up in the air.

I was about to congratulate him, but then he randomly started striking the air once more. Sweat drops formed on the back of my head as I sighed.

Apparently, Chad couldn't see Hollows. He just had a lucky punch.

"What the heck?! Hehe… He scared the crap outta me, but it's just a fluke! I thought that he could see me..!" The Hollow started speaking, only to be cut off by Chad's fist again.

"Yeah, I hit him."

No way! Chad had just hit the Hollow again..! And he was fighting the Hollow so calmly… It was something he couldn't see, hear, nor sense. And he still wasn't freaking out or anything. I haven't known Chad long, or know much about him, but I did know that he was strong. But this strong..? Strong enough to take on a Hollow bare handed? That possibility hadn't even crossed my mind.

The Hollow cursed, then flapped it arms. It turns out its arms were like wings, capable of letting the Hollow float into the sky.

"Wha..?!" Rukia asked, eyes wide as we shared a glance at each other. There would be trouble if we had to fight the Hollow up in the air. And it's not like Rukia could just turn me into a Shinigami in front of Chad. Unless she'd later wipe his memory clean…

"Hyahaha! You can't attack me this way! Right?! What are you gonna do, loser Shinigami's?!" The Hollow roared with laughter as it looked down at us all.

"Don't space out..!" Rukia warned Chad, desperate for him to leave.

"Chad, you need to run away! He's flying!" I added, nodding my head.

"Both of the transfer students..?" Chad asked as he turned his head to look down at the both of us. His dark eyes widened in surprise. "You both…can see ghosts..?"

"That doesn't matter right now!" I argued back, "We can't attack from this distan-"

"Where?"

"What?" Rukia asked, furrowing her eyebrows after Chad had cut me off.

"He's flying so… which direction?" He asked.

"What can you do even if you know that?" I asked, confused.

My eyes widened as Chad wrapped his arms around a telephone pole that he was standing beside. "I can do this." With a fierce grunt, Chad managed to snap the telephone out of the ground! Like it was a twig, that's how much effort it took him! "So, which direction..?"

"R-Right there..!" Rukia answered, as I was still in shock. "Just swing it down!"

Displaying his herculean strength once more, Chad swung the telephone pole down. He hit the back of the Hollows neck, sending it plummeting down to the Earth once more. With the force of the blow, the top of the telephone pole broke off from the impact.

Casually, Chad swung what was left of the pole across his shoulder as he stared off into space. Rukia and I moved over towards the fallen Hollow.

"So give up. It's your time to be rid of. Stay still for just a bit longer." Rukia stated, as she crossed her arms and glared down at the Hollow.

"Heh, heh, heh…" The Hollow laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked, raising my converse clad foot and kicking the Hollows back out of anger.

"I'm wondering how you didn't think about it… Why is it that, up until now, I was able to defeat and devour two Shinigami..?" The Hollow asked, taking a dramatic pause while Rukia and I narrowed our eyes at the pitiful creature. "Geeze… Because of that thoughtlessness all of you Shinigami are beaten by us..!"

We all froze, feeling the Hollow's reiatsu rise. Even Chad seemed to sense that something wasn't quite right, even if it was just because Rukia and I were rigid.

My eyes widened as I looked around.

All around us little Hollow minions appeared. Before we could move, we were tackled to the ground, covered in them.

"Ehehe. This turns the table, doesn't it?" The Hollow asked. "Geez, you simple minded Shinigami's… I fight alone for just a little while and everyone assumes that I'm their only opponent… Did I say even once that I didn't have friends with me? Heh, heh, heh! Weeeeell then, which should I eat first..? The unappetizing guy is -"

With another grunt, Chad managed to use his strength to bust out of the grip of the Hollows minions, and strike a pose quite similar to one that Hercules would himself. I couldn't help but let my jaw drop, feeling my left eye twitch at the scene.

"This guy is ridiculous! He answers every little thing with his biceps! This muscle brained id-" Chad darted towards the area where the Hollow was at, and attempted to land another punch. However, his swipe missed. "iot?! D-Damn it! What acute senses! Even though he can't see me..!"

"Over here, Chad!" Rukia called out, seeing as how we were both pinned to the ground by the Hollow's minions. "Kick right above me and Jun..!"

With two separate swift kicks, both Rukia and I were freed from the smaller Hollows. Angered, the main Hollow took off into the sky once more. However, Chad didn't know that and was still blindly trying to punch him.

"No, not over there!" Rukia yelled, "He's flown off again!"

"The sky..!" He murmured, looked up at the sky once more.

"Relax." I spoke, smirking. "I've got an idea..!"

• • •

"Transfer student Kokawa… You're really… going to go through with this..?" Chad asked as he held me in his strong arms. I was scrunched up in a ball, beaming at the brilliance of my idea.

"Yep! With your super strength and my awesome ghost seeing capabilities, there's no way that we can go wrong~! Now, hurry up and throw me!" I said, grinning.

I'm pretty sure that this would look like a stupid idea to anyone if they passed by. I had originally planned for Rukia to be the one tossed, since she was a bit smaller than I was, but she didn't have all of her strength back yet. So that would most likely be a suicide attempt.

"You know… This feels like an awfully dumb strategy, but…" Chad rumbled off in his deep voice, as he sunk a little lower towards the ground to get ready to toss me.

"You don't have the authority to say that to Jun! This is a wonderful idea..!" Rukia said, a huge smile on her face. Originally, she was going to Shinigami me, but then Chad wouldn't have been able to throw me as well because he wouldn't be able to see me. If we did this and the plan worked out, we would be able to beat the Hollow without me changing into a Shinigami in front of Chad.

"Alright, let's go~!" I ordered, "Aim at two o'clock!"

"Which way is two o'clock?"

"Eeeh?! This way!"

"Keep it at a forty degree elevation!" Rukia added in, doing the calculations in her smart little brain.

"Th-That's too high, moron! I'm not a firework..!" I yelled, my eyes wide. Chad readjusted the height and I nodded. "…Right! There! Stop!"

"Let's go." Rukia ordered, throwing her arm out into the air. She was only missing the little flags that the airplane people had to direct traffic.

"Blast off~!" Rukia and I shouted at the same time, as Chad launched me into the air.

It was a rush, feeling the wind forcibly blowing back my hair and excess fabric of my school uniform. I was heading straight towards the Hollow, just like we had planned.

"That's why we told you to give up," I stated with a smirk, as I grew closer and closer to the Hollow.

"No..! I understand, so don't do anything..! I'll give up!" The Hollow screamed, throwing its hands into the air in a sign of surrender. However, its eyes then narrowed. Lowering its arms, I spotted one of the Hollows minions on its shoulder. "Or not."

My eyes widened in surprise.

The minion used its hands to squeeze its bulbous head, and it spit out a huge ball of what looked like leeches..!

"Jun..! It's a trap! Get out of there!"


	13. Chapter Twelve

• • •

"Jun..! It's a trap! Get out of there!"

Rukia's warning came a spit second too late.

I focused some of my reiatsu to my feet and tried to flash step out of the way, but I still managed to come into contact with the ball of leeches. They clamped onto my left arm and I lost my focus and began to fall through the air as I tried tugging on the leeches.

Luckily, Chad managed to dive and catch me before I hit the street.

"Wha…What happened..?" He asked, full of concern as he saw me tugging at invisible air and wincing a bit.

"Um, sorry. I was just taken by surprise." I spoke and then winced. "Damn it..! These…leeches! Come off, you!"

Rukia ran over to my side, kneeling down next to me. She also began trying to tug on the leeches, eyebrows furrowing when she found that they wouldn't come off no matter how much we tugged.

"Heh, heh, heh!" The Hollow laughed, landing on the street once more. "That's right! Those are leeches! Once they're sucking onto you, they're hard to get off! Besides, they're just not ordinary leeches..! Those are my…targets!"

The Hollow stuck its tongue out, which looked like the two horns on top of a beetle's head. A high pitched whistle sounded throughout the area, causing me to wince. I'd always had sensitive ears; I could usually hear small sounds that other people had to strain to hear. I covered my ears with my hands, only to be shocked as I heard an explosion and felt a wave of searing pain throughout my left arm. I fell back, shocked by the pain from the explosion.

"Transfer student Kokawa..!" Chad's voice was faster; his speech wasn't as slow as it usually was. "Wha…What happened..?"

"Ehehe, surprised little Shinigami's?" The Hollow asked, laughing. "Those leeches are miniature bombs! They explode only in reaction to the sound from my tongue! It was careless to think that flying was my only ability! Geez, you Shinigami's..! Ehehe!"

"Ku…" I grunted as my right hand gripped onto my left arm to try and staunch the bleeding as Chad stood up and faced the Hollow. "…Chad..!"

"You're back, big guy! For you, how about this…?" The Hollow asked as one of his minions came from behind his back, carrying the parakeet's birdcage..!

"Shibata's birdcage..?" Chad asked as he saw the birdcage seem to move on its own. "Why is it here?"

"…Sorry, Mister…" The spirit of Shibata Yuuichi, which resided inside of parakeet the birdcage, replied. "I've been captured."

Chad's eyes widened as he stiffened.

"Looks like you understand! Ehehe! Pretty smart, big guy!" The Hollow laughed, stroking one of its minions as it roared with laughter. "Well! Next is your turn to be smart, Shinigami! Run around, so I can have fun hunting down the two of you..!"

I glared, wincing as I forced myself to stand up. "Don't move from here, Chad! He intends to blow up Shibata's birdcage immediately; if you take a single step..!"

"But, transfer students…" Chad spoke as he turned to look at me and Rukia. Rukia was helping me stand up, supporting my weaker side. "Kokawa, you…"

"Heh, you don't have to worry about me." I smirked. "Rukia and I promised that we wouldn't mess up..!"

Rukia and I met each other's gaze, nodding. We then took off running, hoping that the Hollow would be true to its word and chase us instead of going after Chad and the parakeet.

As we ran, the Hollows minions easily caught up to us. Rukia and I dodged the leeches that it spit out, continuing to run. However, Rukia wasn't as quick as I was, and her right side got covered.

"There, you're covered!"

I gasped, covering my ears from the high pitched whistling noise again. I watched as Rukia's right arm was injured, blood spewing out.

"Rukia..!" I yelled, running to her side. We started running again, although this time I was literally dragging her behind me.

Still, even more leeches were spit out at us. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Rukia, it's time to Shinigami me." I stated, looking back to meet her violet gaze. "Chad is no longer around and it's just us. Shinigami me, take my body, and go heal yourself."

"Jun, I can't! I have to prove that I can do this..!"

"Rukia! Don't be stupid!" I roared, narrowing my eyes until they looked like two ice cold slits. "You are in no condition to fight any further. What are you trying to prove? I know that you're a great Shinigami. You just need to wait a bit longer until more of your power returns."

Rukia sighed, looking down at the trail of blood that she was leaving behind her. She blinked before meeting my gaze. "Alright. I understand."

In a swift motion, the red glove was tugged onto her good hand. With a nicely aimed shove, Rukia pushed against my back and I felt my spirit leave my body. She caught my body before it hit the ground and I stepped behind her and blocked her from the Hollow. Rukia met my gaze, nodding once more and running off.

"Ah… So, you've finally left that pathetic human shell! Ehehe, things are finally about to become interesting..!"

I withdrew Ankoku-Tatsu and took off running once more.

The creatures continued to try and spit those leeches at me, but I was easily able to dodge them with my flash steps. The Hollow couldn't even keep track of my movements.

"Hey, hey, hey! Where are you trying to go?! You don't have to run off. It's okay to retaliate! Little Shinigami!"

I came to a stop, finally sensing Kurosaki's reiatsu close by.

"Huh? What, you're giving up? How boring. It's a rare opportunity to chase around a Shinigami."

"I'm not giving up." I said, with my back still facing the Hollow. My grip on Ankoku-Tatsu tightened. "There's just no need to run away anymore."

"Ah, what'd you say?"

"You that that it would be alright if I retaliate, right?" I asked, angling my head so that I was glaring at the Hollow. "In that case, I'll take your advice!"

"What do you-" The Hollow asked only to be cut off by a kick from behind his head, "mean?!"

"Right, Kurosaki?" I asked, spotting the strawberry. He had his hands in his pockets, his foot still on top of the Hollows head.

"What's with this 'Right, Kurosaki?' crap?!" Kurosaki asked. "Don't try to be cool when you're all beaten up! Didn't you say you wouldn't mess up and cause me to worry?!"

"Idiot," I breathed out, smirking. "Only someone who's at least a little worried would say something like that..!"

"Heh, that's true too."

"Ugh..! How long are you gonna stand on my head?!" The Hollow bellowed. Kurosaki looked down at it, before jumping off and landing in front of the Hollow.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, age fifteen! Presently, the Substitute Shinigami for Kuchiki Rukia!" Kurosaki stated, as he tilted his head to stare at the Hollow. "And if you wanna chase around a Shinigami, shouldn't you pick on ones that are your own size?"

"What'd you say, Kurosaki?!" I yelled, seething. I was sensitive about my height; he had no right to say something like that!  
"I'm only stating the facts. You are kinda short." Kurosaki stated, smirking.

My left eye began twitching as I growled.

"Damn," The Hollow seethed. "I made a mistake. When all of you split up earlier… I should have targeted you from the beginning!"

I quickly shoved my hand down the front of my kimono top, causing Kurosaki's eyes to widen as he blushed. I withdrew a matching red glove just like Rukia's; Urahara told me that it'd come in handy. I shoved it on my hand, "Kurosaki! Quickly..!"

Using my flash step, I appeared right in front of him, causing his eyes to widen. I couldn't reach his forehead, which was the optimum spot to hit, so I settled for smacking him dead center in the chest. His spirit tumbled out of his body, which I caught when it went limp.

The Hollow tried shooting leeches at us during that moment, which we both saw. I flash stepped and landed on top of a nearby fence post, while Kurosaki had jumped into the air.

After all of the leeches settled, the Hollow didn't see any of us nearby. However, it was right then that Kurosaki landed on top of the Hollows head once more.

"You're slow."

Before the Hollow could even look back, Kurosaki had sliced down the Hollows arm, causing it to laugh out in its own pain.

"Heh, heh, heh! So the Shinigami's true form has revealed itself!" As the Hollow spoke, I quickly ran off to hide Kurosaki's body somewhere where it would be safe. I stashed it in an alley way, away from all of the fighting. Still using Shunpo, I appeared next to Kurosaki, only to find that he was surrounded by the Hollows minions.

"On my way here, those small things were carrying Chad's birdcage… So they were this guy's friends. It's a good thing I took care of them." Kurosaki stated as his grip on his Zanpakuto tightened.

"Be careful," I warned him, as I withdrew my Zanpakuto again. "Those leeches that the small things spit out are bombs."

"Bombs… I see. So that's what made Chad stop like that." Kurosaki spoke, as if it all made sense. His cinnamon brown eyes traveled from my face to my injured arm. "And that's also the reason why you're running around by yourself and your wounds. I guess that Rukia got hit, too?"

"Yeah, but she wasn't hurt as badly. She was in pain because she was stuck in that gigai and she couldn't handle it. I managed to convince her to run off somewhere and heal her wounds." I explained the situation this far. "Chad had shown up, so it wasn't smart for Rukia to Shinigami me until we got away from him. So not that much has happened."

"Damn… You made Karin cry, took hostages, attacked a woman without any powers without hesitation, and injured another Substitute Shinigami…" Kurosaki spoke, glaring at the Hollow. "You're a complete bastard, huh?"

"Well, yeah." The Hollow replied. "But it's going to be this bastard that will eat you!"

The Hollow sent his minions towards us.

My eyes narrowed as I instantly slashed through the ones that it sent towards me. Kurosaki had done the same and we were both surrounded by the split halves of the Hollow and leeches from their insides.

"Ehehe, you both move really well..!" The Hollow complimented our speed, as we ran around and sliced up his lackeys. "If the leeches are bombs, then you'll just cut the creatures before they spit, eh? But it seems you've both misunderstood one thing..! From the cuts, the leeches are still spilling out… It doesn't change the fact that they are still bombs!"

Sticking its tongue out once more, the horrible high pitched whistling noise occurred again. Wincing, I covered my ears, still holding onto my Zanpakuto. All around us the leeches exploded, triggering a massive single explosion.

I felt hands wrap around my waist as I was pulled under someone's arms. I couldn't see through the smoke, it was thick and obscured my vision. Just then, the person jumped through the smoke. We were soaring through the sky and I began coughing and taking in clean air.

In a flash, Kurosaki had set me back on my feet and had his Zanpakuto at the base of the Hollows mask. "There's one thing I want to ask you. The one who killed the parents of the boy inside the parakeet… Was that you?!"

"Wha…what are you talking about?" I mumbled to myself, eyes wide.

"Boy, what did you just say?" Rukia's voice asked, causing me to snap my attention towards the sound. She was standing on the sidelines, right beside the parakeet and Chad.

"I said, everything is my fault… Because of me that everyone got hurt…" Shibata spoke, sadly looking down.

"Shibata…" Chad murmured, looking down at the parakeet.

"It's because I wanted to bring my Mommy back to life… I'm sorry…. I'm sorry..! I want to bring my Mommy back to life, but… But I…" Shibata spoke, trailing off only to be interrupted.

"Wait." Rukia interrupted, gaining the parakeet's attention. "Bring your mother back to life? Who…told you that? Did someone tell you that there was a way?!"

"That's right." The Hollow spoke up, gaining everyone's attention once more. "I was the one who killed that brat's mother! It was four or five years ago, back when I was still alive. At that time, I was a so called serial killer. I roamed to various places and killed seven or eight people. There was quite a racket about me on TV… I was famous..!" The Hollow spoke, its voice soaked in pride. "That brat's mother was my last one! It sure was fun. No matter how many times I stabbed her, she kept on running. She was trying to protect that brat. It was fantastic! This was the best part of killing! I savored it!"

"Bastard..!" Kurosaki grunted, his knuckles beginning to turn white from his tight grip on his Zanpakuto's hilt.

"But then it went bad… I followed her out to the veranda to give her the final stab. It was then that the brat grabbed my shoelaces! Because of that, I lost my balance! What a shame! I killed the parent, but I didn't get to kill the brat… Above all, it was that brat's fault that I died!" The Hollow bellowed, before calming down again. "So, I decided to play a game to punish the damn brat! I took the damn brat's soul, and forced him inside a parakeet in a cage, and gave him a mission! He has to run away from me in my current form for three months! If he does that, I'll return his mom to life!"

"Return to life..?" Kurosaki asked, eyes wide. "You can do…?"

"Moron! Of course I can't! I was giving him lip-service so that he'd go along with it! But it was completely effective! The highlight of this punishment game was that I, of course, killed the humans trying to protect him one after the other… Every time I killed one of them, that brat would whine about it! 'Stop already! I don't like this! Don't kill anymore!' But, that's when I'd say this! 'Your mom is waiting to be rescued!' It's fun, you know?! With that line alone, that brat would soon perk up! He'd wail 'Mommy! Mommy!'" Kurosaki's grip tightened even further, gaining the Hollows attention. "Don't be so disturbed, Shinigami! Your stance is unguarded!"

The Hollow grabbed onto Kurosaki's large Zanpakuto and threw one of his minions right at him because his guard was down. He caught one, which then burst into leeches with the impact.

"See?! They hit you! This time it's over! Ehehe!" The Hollow laughed, sticking out its tongue once more. However, Kurosaki had crashed his fist through the Hollow's mouth.

"Hey, I'm returning these bombs..!" He darkly spoke. Shivers were sent down my spine as I stood there helplessly.

"Ah," The Hollow moaned, not too sure what to do.

"What..? You'd set off the bombs with that tongue, right? Let's hear you make that high pitched sound with that tongue!" Kurosaki baited the Hollow, his voice still dark and taunting. "You won't do it, huh? So then I'll just take your tongue!"

I gasped, watching as Kurosaki literally ripped the Hollows tongue from its own mouth.

The Hollow was cursing Kurosaki for ripping out its tongue, but it was a bit more difficult to understand because it now had a huge lisp. It flew towards Kurosaki, about to attack him.

Flash stepping towards him, I pinned down one of its legs. I smirked as I heard it scream out in horror.

"Leg… The leg is… My leg!" The Hollow cried out in horror, causing Kurosaki to smirk.

"Thanks to Jun, now you can't move. Now that I have your tongue, you can't use your weapon to fight. How's that feel?" Kurosaki asked, his eyes literally smoldering. "Can you savor it a little?! How's it like to be one of the murdered?!"

Growling, the Hollow used its claw to chop off its own leg. It flew up into the air, trying to escape. I withdrew Ankoku-Tatsu from its flesh, watching as Kurosaki jumped up into the air to hunt the Hollow down.

"That's right… You're scared, right?" Kurosaki asked. "So much that you'd rip off your own leg just to escape..! Never forget that terror! Hammer it into your mind and disappear!"

Kurosaki brought back his Zanpakuto and released a slash straight across the Hollows mask. However, instead of just decaying like they usually do, something different happened.

Behind the Hollow appeared a huge gate. On each door was the torso of a skeleton, which seemed to be leaning out towards us. Around the skull were binding wraps, with spell tags handing off of their arms. Chains interweaved through their ribs, keeping them stuck to the two huge doors.

"Wha…What in the world is that?!" Kurosaki asked, looking back at me and Rukia.

"It's Hell." Rukia answered as she pushed her flying hair back behind her ear as she walked over towards us to begin her explanation. "I told you that the Zanpakuto cleanses sin with a slash and that's how Hollows go to Soul Society. But not every Hollow is able to go to Soul Society. This is because the Zanpakuto can cleanse only the sins committed after the spirit has become a Hollow! Hollows who have committed terrible sins during life are doomed to be yielded up unto Hell's lot."

Kurosaki and I were distracted from Rukia's speech by the sounds of chains stretching and breaking open.

"Look there! The gates of Hell are opening!" Rukia commanded, as we watched the skeleton's slowly move their bony phalanges into the opening of the doors. Their bones clenched and they forced the door open.

A huge gust of wind aided in pushing the doors open. My hair and Shihakusho sleeves were wildly flapping in the wind, so I had to bring my injured arm up to cover my face from the harsh gales. Looking up from behind my arm, I saw the Hollow impaled with a huge axe, as its screams of pain echoed around the entire area, quite possibly the entire town. Twisted laughter came from deep within the gates and I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore. I felt the color drain from my face.

The gates slowly creaked closed, then vanished in black wisps.

"He's fallen into Hell, huh?" Kurosaki asked, still staring into the space where the Hollow had vanished.

"Yes," Rukia nodded. "Well, you and Jun handled that better than I thought you two would. Although, Jun, you look a little bit pale."

"Are you serious?! That was terrifying! I don't think I've ever seen something that scary in my entire life!" I spoke, my eyes still wide.

"You mean you'd never seen that before?" Kurosaki asked.

"No, I've never sent a Hollow to Hell." I murmured, crossing my arms over my chest as I shivered. "And I wouldn't like to see that ever again."

"Who knew that Jun was afraid of skeletons..?" Rukia teased, lightly laughing.

I could feel my face heating up; I was embarrassed. "S-Shut up! It's perfectly natural to be afraid of something!" I angrily crossed my arms, only to wince once I felt the wound on my left arm reopen.

"Oops, I'm sorry! I forgot to heal your wound!" Rukia spoke, instantly coming over to my side and performing the Kido spell.

"What? You can't heal it yourself? I thought that you were good at stuff like that, Jun?" Kurosaki asked, looking confused.

"I am. It's just… I find it difficult to heal myself. I don't know why, but I've never been able to do it." I explained, now rotating my freshly healed shoulder and saying a quick thanks to Rukia. "Now let's go and check out that parakeet."

• • •

"How is it?" Kurosaki asked, lightly leaning over Rukia as she examined Shibata.

"It's a shame, but… The Chain of Fate was already disconnected. No traces of it are left. Too much time has passed. It's impossible to return to your body anymore."

"No way," Shibata murmured, looking as sad as a parakeet could.

"Shibata…" Chad murmured, feeling sorry for the parakeet that he had grown quite attached to throughout these few days.

"Ah, don't worry!" Rukia quickly spoke, pointing in the air with a finger. "Soul Society is a place where you have nothing to be afraid of…" However, Shibata didn't look too enthused with her words. So, she continued. "Such as never being hungry, your body feels light, and it's nine times out of ten better than this world!"

"Hm, you don't say…" Kurosaki muttered, still bent over Rukia.

"Besides, aren't you a freeloader here anyway?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow towards the violet eyed girl. Rukia looked shocked.

"…But, well, that might be so." Kurosaki continued, placing his hand to his chin in deep thought. "At least, if you go to the other world, you can see your Mom. It's not possible for her to return to life here but… if you were to go over there… This time, your mom really will be waiting for you!"

I blinked in surprise. Could Kurosaki really be this kind and thoughtful? This seemed like a new side of him; a side that I had never seen before..! Even Rukia looked surprised.

"Well, then…" Kurosaki said, putting his hand behind his back on the hilt of his Zanpakuto. "Shall we send your soul off now?"

"Y-Yeah..!" Shibata answered happily. However, he soon turned his feathered head towards Chad, who was leaning on a nearby wall. "Mister… Thank you… For everything!"

"Mm." Chad hummed in acknowledgement. "…It was nothing…"

"Because you carried me around, I didn't get hurt at all."

"Mm." Chad responded yet again, "…It was nothing…"

"Well, I should go now. Thank you very much." Shibata responded, then looking away as his soul became visible outside of the bird.

"Yuuichi… When I die and go over there… Is it alright if I carry you around one more time..?" Chad asked, looking at the boy's spirit. I didn't know if he could actually see him this time, but I liked thinking that he finally could.

"…Sure!" Shibata happily responded, cheekily grinning. I thought that I saw a few tears swell up in the corners of his eyes.

"Well, it's about time to go. You ready?" Kurosaki asked.

"Mhm!" Shibata happily hummed, seeming to pick up the trait from Chad himself.

I couldn't fight off the serene smile once I saw Kurosaki softly bring the hilt of his Zanpakuto to Shibata's forehead. My eyes followed the path of the jigokucho as it flew off into the sky.

"Stay safe… Yuuichi Shibata." I murmured, praying for the boy's soul.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

• • •

"Morning, Orihime, Tatsuki~!" I greeted, covering my mouth slightly as I let out a small yawn. I was still a little tired from the whole 'Chasing Chad Around' fiasco yesterday, and me not being able to sleep well at night didn't help either.

"Ah, good morning to you too, Jun-Chan!" Orihime returned my greeting with a cheerful smile. Tatsuki just nodded in return; I understood that she wasn't a morning person either. "Oh, do you know what's wrong with Kurosaki-Kun?"

I blinked at the eagerness of Orihime's question. Why on Earth would Orihime think I would be the first to know if there was something wrong with Kurosaki..?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, opting for the lazy question.

"Well, it's just that he had to be taken to the nurse's office by Kuchiki-San earlier this morning. Kurosaki-Kun didn't look that good, either. He was all pale and Kuchiki-San was literally dragging him away." Orihime answered.

Ahh. Rukia must have punched Kurosaki. She did have a pretty killer punch when she concentrated. Knowing Rukia, she probably had something private to talk to him about and did that to get him away from normal humans.

"Hm, I dunno." I spoke, and then decided to hopefully change the topic. "I'm just glad that it's getting warmer! Pretty soon we get to wear our summer uniforms, ne? I personally think that they're much better."

Orihime happily nodded, following the change of topic directly. "They're much better in the warmer weather. We'd die if we had to wear our long-sleeved tops! Besides, this means that summer vacation isn't too far off..!"

"Mhm!" I nodded. "I can't wait to go to the fireworks festival that I've heard so much about! I don't think that I've been to one before… At least, not after I was about four or five…" I explained, only to gasp as my phone went off.

"It's not good for your phone to be left on like that." Orihime advised, as she pointed to the phone that was now in my hands. "If it goes off when a teacher is instructing they can take it away."

"Thanks for the tip. I just didn't know that I'd left it on." I said, lightly scratching the back of my teased hair as I chuckled. It felt weird being lectured by the biggest ditz in the class.

However, my phone beeped again; only once this time, which indicated that I had received a text message. I looked down at the flashing envelop picture and clicked 'Open new message.'

Don't worry about this one.

We've got it covered.

-Rukia

Good for you, Rukia. You get to go and help Kurosaki slay a Hollow; all the while I'm stuck here in this torture chamber. All I know is that you both had better make it back quick. It's unusually boring without Rukia and Kurosaki here…

• • •

Lucky for me, lunch seemed to come around unusually fast. However, you wouldn't spot me complaining. Lunch meant no more boring lectures and being assigned busy work and homework later.

Although, I was a bit surprised. Rukia and Kurosaki were still gone. I couldn't sense their reiatsu nearby either. That had to mean that they were still out and about. But I knew that if Rukia and Kurosaki needed help they'd let me know. So I would just have to wait for their return and question them about it later.

"Yaaay~! It's lunch!" Orihime cheered, tossing her arms into the air.

"Not again," Tatsuki lightly whined. "It's just lunch, so calm down!"

"Tatsuki's right." I nodded, "I don't see why you like lunch so much anyways."

"What are you two talking about, Tatsuki-Chan, Jun-Chan?!" Orihime asked, wide eyed. "Normal high school girls only come to school for lunch!" She explained and struck a pose which she so humbly called her 'Lunch Eating Pose!'

"Alright, alright." Tatsuki spoke, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, Orihime. Let's go ahead and sit down." I said, gesturing to the group of girls that had already formed a semi-circle to eat.

"What are your guy's lunches?" Orihime asked. "Mine's bread and honey~!"

My eyes widened at the size of the loaf of bread that Orihime managed to pull out of her lunch bag.

Tatsuki lightly laughed, patting the top of her auburn head. "Good, good. Unfortunately, mine is only a normal lunch."

"I only have a normal lunch, too." I added in, watching as Tatsuki moved our desks closer together so we could sit and enjoy our lunch.

"Hime~! Let's eat together!" Chizuru called out, holding her lunch.

"Yeah, okay!" Orihime responded, believing the lie 'the more the merrier.'

"So cute~!" Chizuru squealed as she glomped Orihime. "Eating a whole loaf of bread and smiling with crumbs on her mouth! A normal person can't replicate this cuteness! This is the girl that captured my heart~! In many ways, I want to eat you!"

"Chizuru!" Tatsuki yelled, eyes wide as she slammed her hands down on her desk. "Not during lunch!"

Tatsuki continued to threaten Chizuru, and I was secretly rooting for Tatsuki to just punch her already. Frankly, Chizuru frightened me. She was just…creepy!

However, it was during the middle of their creepy argument that Orihime stood up and ran over to one of the open windows in the classroom. She was attempting to jump out! It was a good thing that Tatsuki was able to rush over to her side and stop her. Otherwise she would have probably fallen to her death. After all, our class was located on the third floor. It wouldn't be easy to survive a fall from such a height.

"What the matter, Orihime?" I asked as Tatsuki continued to try and restrain her from jumping out of the window.

"I smelled Kurosaki-Kun!" Orihime explained, breathing in and out through her nose like a dog.

"Smelled?" Tatsuki asked, rolling her eyes. "What are you, a dog?"

"Plus this is the third floor. Even if you did manage to smell him, he couldn't possibly come through the window." I explained, trying to reason with her. However, I could see that I was clearly wrong, "WHA?!"

Kurosaki had managed to jump up to the third floor window! I mean, he had appeared out of nowhere and just jumped to the top of the window sill! That could not be humanly possible..!

"This is Class 1-3, isn't it?"

The whole entire classroom erupted into screams. And I'm not trying to exaggerate. I'm serious when I said that everyone screamed; well, if you exclude Orihime, Tatsuki, and I. We were all in too much shock to scream.

Tatsuki's arms quickly locked around Orihime's and my neck, as she ran backwards to put more distance between us and Kurosaki. "Y-You! How'd you get up here?!"

"How?" Kurosaki questioned. "Didn't you see it? I jumped up. Are you surprised?" It was quiet for a few moments, and I was calculating in my brain. I knew that this couldn't be the same Kurosaki. Something had to have happened. "It's amazing, right? You're surprised, right?"

While I was lost in my thoughts, he was gazing across the classroom. His gaze landed on the three of us, and before I could even blink, he had jumped again!

This time, however, he landed on the desk right in front of the three of us.

"Pleasure to meet you, pretty lady. Would you please tell me your name?" The imposter Kurosaki asked, lightly taking Orihime's hand and kissing it like a gentleman would do.

"What do you think you're doing, Kurosaki?!" I yelled, forcibly pulling him away from Orihime. "This isn't funny! Get away from Orihime right now!"

While I was yelling at him and forcing him to slightly retreat, Tatsuki grabbed Orihime and forced her further back and out of the way. I scowled at the strawberry, wondering what was up. I mean, did he hit his head really hard against that Hollow he was supposed to take care of? If not, then none of this made any sense..!

"You know," Kurosaki began, his deep cinnamon hued eyes zooming all around my face before locking with my own bright blue eyes. "From close up you're really pretty, too. Especially when you get mad. Your cheeks flush."

"Huh?" I asked, feeling my eyes widen. What did he just say..?

"It's true!" He spoke, as his large hands quickly grabbed mine. He tugged my hands away from their previous position where they had been sitting on my hips. When he locked my small hands in his larger ones, he gently tugged me so that I was forced closer to him.

I gasped; I couldn't get my hands out of his..! He was way too strong for me to fight back. He tugged once more, causing me to lose my balance and trip, lightly landing on his firm chest.

I felt my eyes widen as my forehead hit his chest. I hadn't realized how much shorter than him I was. I did the only logical thing and looked up at him. It took my brain a while to process the fact that his eyes were moving closer to mine. I was frozen as the tip of his nose softly grazed against my own. His lips were still moving even closer.

The next thing I felt were his lips lightly grazing against my own, causing my knees to almost give out; which, I'm sure they would have if he wasn't still holding me firmly to his chest.

"DIE!" Tatsuki screeched, picking up a desk and holding it up above her head. Her eyes were literally burning holes into Kurosaki's face; I don't think that I'd ever seen her that mad. However, it did do the trick of making my brain restart itself, and I was finally able to jog my thoughts.

Before I knew it, Tatsuki released the desk, chucking it straight towards us. It was aimed more at the Kurosaki impersonator, though.

"Whoa! Watch out!" The imposter strawberry yelled as he tucked me under his arm and jumped out of the way of the oncoming desk. Not only did he save himself, but he saved me as well. "I didn't do anything to you!"

As Tatsuki threw another desk, this one missing and going through the window, it was able to distract him enough for me to slip out of his grip and run over towards Tatsuki. I could feel my cheeks burning, and I was breathing heavily. Throughout that whole experience I don't think that I ever once breathed. No wonder I couldn't think around him, my brain was deprived of oxygen..! That was the only logical explanation.

"Shut up!" Tatsuki roared, firmly stepping in front of me to block me from his view. "You went after Orihime and Jun! And you kissed them!"

Tatsuki seemed to have enough of this and stopped throwing desks at him. This time, she ran towards him and tried to land a few punches..!

"That's enough!"

I blinked. I recognized that voice.

Rukia slammed open the classroom door, observing what was going on. The 'Imposter' Kurosaki's face showed surprise, as his eyes dramatically widened. It was almost as if he was scared of Rukia! He took off running towards the windows, because Rukia was blocking the only exit.

As the imposter ran towards the windows, he sent many of the upturned desks flying in his hurry.

"There he goes, Ichigo!" Rukia exclaimed, causing me to quickly turn my gaze towards the windows. The real Kurosaki, in his Shinigami form, had just jumped through the window. However, he didn't have much luck in catching his body, because whatever it was that was in his body was faster than he was. The imposter jumped right next to Kurosaki and leapt through the window..!

"Wha?! Wait a second! Jumping down from here..! Just whose body do you think that is?!" The real Kurosaki yelled, watching in horror as his body flew towards the ground from the third floor.

Rukia and I shared a glance, before running towards the window. We were just lucky that nobody else in the classroom had a high enough spiritual pressure where they could see the real Kurosaki.

"W-What's going on!?" Kurosaki muttered, looking down at his body. Whatever was in it had landed safely and had taken off with a running head start. "What in the world is he..?"

"Could he be..? Yes, there's no doubt about it. He is a mod-soul!" Rukia muttered as we watched it run off.

"I don't care what he is." I muttered crossly as I quickly withdrew my soul candy from my pocket and popped it into my mouth. Paku took over my body as my soul came out. "We're going after him. Paku, stay away from all of the others. Don't let them ask you any questions, got it? It'd probably be better if you hid out in the nurse's office and claimed that you didn't feel well."

"Yes, Jun-Sama~!" Paku saluted, running behind us all into hallway. We parted ways when she went into the nurse's office, my body still looking quite flushed from the incident before. Paku should have no trouble convincing the nurse that she didn't feel well.

Bursting through the schools doors, we looked around for any sign of Kurosaki's bright orange head of hair. However, we couldn't find a trace of the color anywhere.

"Ah! Damn it! We lost him!" Kurosaki cursed, frantically looking around. "I lost myself!"

"That's a paradox." Rukia pointed out, crossing her arms as she corrected Kurosaki's speech.

"It's no time for complicated jokes! We have to hurry up and catch me… I mean, him…!" Kurosaki exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Rukia.

"This is confusing." Rukia muttered, slightly rolling her eyes at Kurosaki's antics.

"You heard that too, right? The trouble in the classroom…" Kurosaki muttered, his eyes downcast with a dark aura around him. "I…err…he… used my body and… with Inoue and Jun… he ki-ki-ki-"

"Seemed like he kissed them." Rukia finished his statement, seeing as how he wasn't even able to stop stuttering the word 'kissed.'

My face felt hot as I remembered that encounter.

"Aww! Don't say that; it's embarrassing..!" Kurosaki bellowed, only to meet my gaze and flush and look away.

"Pft." Rukia exhaled, crossing her arms again. "Locking lips is nothing. They say that young people have no morals these days. Locking lips is like saying hello. At least, that's what I read in a magazine the other day."

"Idiot..!" I yelled, crashing my knuckles against the back of Rukia's head as my eyes widened. "Besides, what kind of magazines have you been reading?! It's definitely not normal to just suddenly kiss fellow classmates!"

Kurosaki's cinnamon eyes studied my pink face, only causing his own face to turn a deep red. Seriously, his face could have rivaled his namesake; those strawberries probably would have been jealous. He blinked, eyes widening at a sudden realization. His hands dove into his bright orange locks as he pulled on his roots. He spun around, cowering like he was in a dark corner. "Maaan..! The solid image that I have been building over the years… How can I show my face at school tomorrow..?!"

Rukia and I turned towards each other with questioning gazes. I shook my head. "That's one sucky image." Rukia nodded in agreement.

"Wait…" Kurosaki spoke, as he slowly retracted his hands and stood up with his back still facing us. "You called him a… 'Mod-Soul', didn't you? What is that?"

I was clueless on this one; when I was admitted into the Academy they only enrolled me in the so called 'action' classes. I learned swordsmanship, Kido spells, how to control my reiatsu… Basically, I learned only the hands on stuff. I was never allowed to take the courses that taught the Soul Society's history.

"Once, Soul Society had an operation called 'Spearhead.'" Rukia began.

"Spearhead?" Kurosaki asked.

"Yeah," Rukia nodded. I blinked as she seemed to pull her sketchbook from thin air, trying to explain it with the help of her drawings. "To insert souls created for combat into dead human bodies that lost their souls. Then use that as a soldier to fight Hollows. It was a foolish plan."

"What?" I asked, blinking. This was news to me.

"It was then that they were created… Battle type artificial spirits that, depending on which one is used, strengthens one part of the body to superhuman levels. That's a 'Mod-Soul.'" Rukia paused in her speech for a moment, pointing to her drawings. I swear, they were as bad as her other ones, which wasn't saying much. They were about the only thing that could make this serious situation actually seem comical. "From what I saw, he seemed to have enhanced leg strength. He would be called an 'Under-Pod' type."

"So," Kurosaki asked, "One of the guys created for that operation escaped, then?"

"That's the problem. It turns out that 'Spearhead,' and its distasteful plan to make corpses fight, was canceled before it was put into place. With the cancelation order, all 'Mod-Souls' that were already created were ordered to be destroyed, but… It seems some escaped and still exist."

"Hold on. That means what? He… Was created for the convenience of your Soul Society, and he'll be killed for Soul Society's convenience too?" Kurosaki asked, looking stunned.

"That's the gist of it." Rukia murmured, not being able to fully meet his heated gaze.

"Wait, you mean that you're satisfied with that?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. I didn't think that this was like Rukia; she seemed like someone who would care for the Mod-Souls, not someone who wouldn't care for their ordered death. However, this struck me hard. This story seemed awfully familiar to me…as if I'd heard it before.

"Satisfied or not, that's not relevant." Rukia answered, turning her back on us. "The Mod-Souls must be destroyed! That is a rule of the Soul Society! And don't forget! The rules of Soul Society are created to protect you human spirits!"

My glare hardened as I switched my gaze from Rukia to a nearby building. That's why this story sounded familiar. It was the same one that I'd heard from my Mother's side of the family.

'To protect the human spirits…'

Yeah, right. Like I'd believe that for a second.

It was probably all a cover up act for something that they weren't sure would work out perfectly. That sounds much more like something the Soul Society would do.

"Now, let's go!" Rukia commanded. "You want your body back, right?!"

"I call dibs on him first. When I get through with him, he's gonna wish that he was never born..!" I exclaimed, my glare hardening.

Of course, I couldn't really hurt that Mod-Soul after hearing that story. We were too much the same. But that didn't mean that I would let his little act go without punishment.

Kurosaki turned scarlet while Rukia darkly chuckled.

"I don't know what you're laughing at. It wasn't funny. After we teach him a lesson, I'm going home and taking a long, hot shower..! I feel the need to scrub my skin off." I said, crossing my arms and huffing as my cheeks felt warmer all of a sudden. Memories of him holding my close resurfaced in my mind, making me shiver all over again.

Kurosaki heard my statement and sent a heated glare my way. "Hey! There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, I thought I was going to die!" I argued back, feeling argumentative.

"You two are so immature. Yet, you fight like an old married couple." Rukia said, looking back at us with knowing violet eyes.

"Do not~!" We both shouted at the same time. Our heads sharply turned to the other as we glared. Kurosaki had to look down, while I had to look up, craning my neck. We held each other's glare, matching it with our own, and then simultaneously looked away. With a huff, we both crossed our arms and walked off in silence.

Okay… Maybe we did fight like an old married couple.

But, I'd be the one begging for a divorce…right?

The truth was, I just didn't know after the incident that occurred earlier.

That's what scared me the most.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

• • •

"A jumping high school student?" An old man questioned, sitting on the corner of his produce stand on the side of the street. For an old man, he surprisingly had his cartilage pierced and was smoking a cigarette. "I don't know. I never saw him."

"I see," Rukia said, looking down in discouragement.

"But… If you buy some vegetables, I might remember."

"R-Really?!" Rukia asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Idiot..!" I yelled, as Kurosaki threw his arm around her neck and began to drag her away from the shopkeeper.

"That shopkeeper is always like that! Ask someone else..!" Kurosaki muttered, rolling his eyes at Rukia's gullibility.

Rukia was the one that we had to settle for asking around for information. After all, nobody could see me or Kurosaki considering that we were in our Shinigami forms.

 **Beep. Beep. Beep.**

"What; at a time like this?!" Kurosaki darkly muttered, watching as me and Rukia withdrew our phones to check. "Don't tell me it's an order..!"

"Unfortunately, it is." Rukia answered. "A Hollow will appear in five minutes."

"Although, we might have lucked out just a little bit for once. It's close by." I explained, looking at the radar screen on my phone.

"Not now..!" Kurosaki exclaimed, looking even more frustrated.  
"Don't worry; it's just a small fry. I'll go ahead and finish it off while Rukia and you keep on searching for that Mod-Soul, okay?" I asked, memorizing the location before I stashed the phone back into its place down my kimono top. Of course, Kurosaki blushed. "But, remember that I called first dibs on beating the crap out of him~!"

Focusing reiatsu to the soles of my feet, I was gone in a flash before they could respond to my words. It felt good to use flash step again, to feel the wind whipping through my hair. If only Urahara would let more of my reiatsu be under my control, I would probably be able to go even faster..!

It didn't take me long before I could sense the Hollow, even if it was just a normal small fry. Although, when I was nearby I could see something other than the Hollow. It was a person, I was sure of that.

School uniform. Bright orange hair.

"It's him..! That idiot Mod-Soul!" I exclaimed, watching as it tried to fight off the rather large centipede like Hollow. With my sharp eyes, I could see the rich red blood that stained the white shirt of the uniform; that Mod-Soul had gotten Kurosaki's body injured!

I grit my teeth as I saw one of the centipede Hollow's legs come straight for the Mod-Soul, who had nothing to defend himself with. Narrowing my eyes, I withdrew Ankoku-Tatsu from her sheath, using Shunpo to appear in front of the Mod-Soul.

I managed to slice the arm clean through, causing it to retreat the rest of its body back a few steps as it cried out in pain.

"I remember you..! You saved me! My hero~!" The Mod-Soul exclaimed, his whole face lit up in delight. Let me say this, it's quite weird seeing all of these different facial expressions on Kurosaki's face. I still wasn't used to the show of emotions, I was used to seeing his scrunched up eyebrows and scowl.

"Yeah, yeah. For now you're off the hook, but that's only because I have to deal with this Hollow! I can't believe that you were stupid enough to think that you could beat it..!" I yelled, moving my Zanpakuto so that it was in a more comfortable position for my next attack.

"What are you talking about?! I was fighting that Hollow because it took too long for you and the others to arrive..! Well, mostly the others. I had no clue that you were a Shinigami, too~!" The Mod-Soul cooed in delight, smiling as I sliced another one of the Hollow's arms off. "Besides, if I hadn't fought then those kid's would've…"

"Aw..! Damn..! I'll eat the both of you!" The Hollow screeched, directly flinging itself towards me and the Mod-Soul. In a flash, I rose Ankoku-Tatsu and slashed the Hollows mask while the Mod-Soul landed a powerful kick with his strong legs. The combined force of my slash and the Mod-Souls kick was enough to send it flying back.

Suddenly, the Mod-Soul gasped and ran forwards. He ran towards the end of the roof, managing to jump up into the air and kick the Hollow away from the rooftop. However, his little stunt suspended him in air for a second, and he began to fall off of the roof.

It was just pure luck that the real Kurosaki had shown up at that moment, managing to grab his body by the leg and haul him back onto the rooftop.

"You idiot!" Kurosaki seethed, glaring at the Mod-Soul. "What are you doing?! Jun had sliced that Hollow's mask! Hollows vanish on their own if you cut their heads! Why would you kick it upwards? What are you thinking? It's as if you didn't want it to land there…" Kurosaki trailed off, the light bulb on top of his head finally burning bright.

Both of our eyes trailed to the spot where the Hollow would have landed and we both sweat dropped.

Ants; a line of ants were steadily making their way across the rooftop.

That's what he wanted to save? A line of ants?

"…A line of ants..?" Kurosaki spoke, voicing my thoughts exactly. "It can't be… You aren't going to talk like a saint and say that you didn't want them to be crushed, are you..?"

"Y-Yeah! So what?!" The Mod-Soul asked, glaring and actually looking like the real Kurosaki for a moment, before the look faded and became more sad and pathetic. "I…I won't kill anything! Right after I was born, Soul Society ordered the Mod-Souls to be destroyed… And the day after I was born, I was already chosen to die! Every day, while I was in that pill, I was afraid. I watched my friends disappear each day. Even after I got lucky and escaped the storage among other pills, I feared being discovered and killed… As I trembled in fear, I would think… Life isn't something that should be taken by others. I was born like this! I should at least have the right to live and die freely!" The Mod-Soul exclaimed, fervently. "Whether it's humans or insects, or even us, it's the same. That's why I won't kill… I won't kill anything..!"

I could feel the downward tugging at my lips, realizing that I was frowning; there was a very Kurosaki like look on my face. His words actually made me feel some form of apathy for him. Even after what he had pulled earlier. I didn't feel like I could blame him anymore; after all, he'd been isolated and scared for his life for countless years.

"My, my~…" A strikingly familiar voice drawled out, causing my eyes to widen. The clanking sound of wooden sandals against the roof's surface met my ears, "We finally found you and you're all roughed up. This makes all the equipment we brought totally useless…"

"Ah..!" The Mod-Soul gasped, eyes widening as Urahara raised the end of his cane and struck him in the forehead. On the bottom of the cane was the all too familiar flaming skull. The pill flew out of the back of his head because of the cane, bouncing across the ground. Kurosaki's body fell limp once more.

Urahara clambered over to the pill, picking it up and tossing it into the air and catching it again. The look on Kurosaki's face was priceless; he looked so shocked.

Oh..! That's right..!

This was his first encounter with Urahara!

"Well, mission complete~!" Urahara happily mused. "Let's go home guys!"

"Huh?!" Jinta exclaimed, furious. "I thought we were going to see some action for the first time in a while!"

"Wait! What are you going to do with him?!" Kurosaki yelled, trying to catch up to Urahara who had already turned and had begun making his way towards Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta.

"What..?" Urahara asked, tilting his head back so his deep gray eyes were visible from under his green and white striped bucket hat. "Dispose of it. Why?"

"You can see me..?" Kurosaki asked, eyes wide. "Who are you..?"

"Oh, how should I answer that…?" Urahara mused, bringing his other hand up to scratch at his hat out of habit. This was his so called, 'thinking' pose.

"For starters, you could begin with the fact that you're a greedy, perverted salesman." I said, hoping to distract him once I saw Rukia walk across the rooftop. "He's also my former teacher."

I was actually quite successful in distracting him, letting Rukia swipe the Mod-Soul from his hand.

"Ah, Kuchiki-San! Don't take that..!" Urahara spazzed out.

"What, Urahara?" Rukia asked, lightly tossing the pill up and down in the air. I kind of felt sorry for that Mod-Soul… I hope he didn't get motion sickness. "Does your store take items you sold to a customer without proper compensation?"

"Oh, well… Then, I'll pay." Urahara feebly answered.

"There's no need. I am satisfied with the product." Rukia responded, "Plus, you guys are working outside of the law anyway. You don't have any responsibility to recover him."

"We're not responsible, then?" Urahara asked, looking quite serious for once. "If trouble comes, we'll play dumb."

"Don't worry. I'm getting used to trouble lately." Rukia muttered. She then walked over towards Kurosaki, tossing the pill to him. "Here. Let's go."

"…Yeah. Thanks… For not throwing him away." Kurosaki muttered, staring down at the pill in the palms of his large hands.

"There's no need; I've already been thanked." Rukia offhandedly answered, walking away.

Kurosaki blinked, a perplexed look on his face. I chuckled a bit, walking closer over towards the pill in his hand. I faux glared at it, before sighing and shaking my head. A serene smile passed over my face, causing Kurosaki's eyebrows to dramatically raise and get lost in his bright orange locks.

"See you later, too, Kurosaki." I happily said, waving as I walked across the roof and followed after Urahara and the bunch.

• • •

Déjà vu.

I glared at the homework that was resting on my desk; it was taunting me once again, just lying there and mocking me with its emptiness. A hefty sigh escaped my lips as I slumped over and rested my head on the desk.

I was such a bad procrastinator..! I was good at schoolwork; some would even consider me to be near the genius level, intellectually. I just couldn't get motivated to finish school work; I was just way too lazy.

Besides, it was just too warm in my apartment for my liking. I had the windows pulled up, while I sat there in a pair of my crops, tight like skinny jeans that cut off right below my knees. A black sleeveless V necked shirt completed my outfit, which had bright neon pink paint splatters over it. I had gotten frustrated with my hair after I had blow-dried it when I got out of my shower, so I just pulled it back into a pony tail. My bangs were pinned back as well, in a rather large poof.

 **Knock… Knock! Knock!**

Who in the world could that be?

Somebody was knocking on the door to my apartment, well more like banging. I first thought that it was Rukia, but then I knew I was wrong; she was probably out wiping the memories of the people from the classroom earlier. So, if my thoughts were correct, that ruled out Orihime and Tatsuki.

"I'm coming..!" I exclaimed, as the knocking had started up again. Rolling my eyes, I made my way to my front door, throwing it open as soon as I got there. "Oh, Kurosaki? What do you want?"

The strawberry's eyes narrowed, pointing a finger towards the TV that I had in the living room space of my apartment. "Turn on the TV."

"To what, exactly?" I asked, rolling my eyes as I moved and let the traffic come in to my apartment, lightly shutting the door behind him.

"The news, quickly!" He exclaimed, causing me to sigh. I quickly walked over to the remote that was lying on my small coffee table, switching the channel from my music station to the local news.

 _"_ _Today around 1 PM in Karakura City, reports were coming in about a flying young man. Here's some special footage of the young man sent in by local viewers. Unfortunately, it was taken from a cell phone, so the quality isn't the best. Also, because of the shadows from the surrounding buildings, only his silhouette can be seen. But, look at him go!"_

"Um, wow." I spoke, not being able to fight off the grin that was tugging on my lips. "I never thought that this would make the news..!"

"So, what exactly do we do about this?" Kurosaki asked, lightly glaring at me for finding this whole situation amusing.

"I don't know. I mean, I don't think that this can cause much harm. Look, even your glowing orange hair was covered up by the shadows! That's a miracle. And, because of that, people can't technically prove that it was you." I explained, laughing at the expression on his face once more. "Hm. I would think that people would forget all about this. I think it kinda looks like an actor shooting a movie. Like, maybe a human who gained superpowers..?" I mused, putting a finger to my lip in thought as I continued to watch the video footage of the Mod-Soul jump from rooftop to rooftop.

"Okay," Kurosaki sighed, giving in. He knew that I was probably right; nobody could identify the silhouette as him. "But what do we do about the people who knew that it really was me?"

"Knowing Rukia, she's probably gone to erase their memories right now. She's usually ahead like that." I answered, lightly shrugging my shoulders. I then switched the TV back to my music channel.

Kurosaki nodded, "Now, what do we do about him?" He pulled the small round pill from his pocket, letting it rest in the palm of his hand.

"Well… He could stay in that form, but I don't think that he would enjoy it that much. Why don't you go and look to see if you can find any dead animals to put him in?" I asked, thinking about the situation. "You can't place him in a living thing, cause it would force it's soul out. We wouldn't want that to happen. Not even the Mod-Soul would take a body like that if it had those consequences. After all, it's like killing the animal."

"Yeah, right. That's easy for you to say." Kurosaki said, shaking his head. "I don't even know where to find a dead animal."

"Hm; why don't you look around in the streets? There's bound to be an animal that was hit by a car or something, as sad as it is to say." I said, lightly frowning and folding my arms around myself.

"There's no way that I'm going to be poking around in the streets for a dead animal alone..! Do you know how suspicious that looks?" Kurosaki said, a deadpan expression on his face.

I let up a pent up breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I placed my hands on my hips as I rolled my eyes, giving in. "Fine. I'll tag along with you, you big baby. Besides, maybe now I'll get the chance to tell off that Mod-Soul. After all, he still needs to be taught a lesson."

I turned around to slip on my pair of black gladiator sandals, quickly zipping up the backs of them. Because of this, I missed the pink that dusted Kurosaki's cheeks as he thought back to what he had heard happened; the Mod-Soul had kissed you…with his body!

"Come on, aren't we gonna go already?" I asked, opening the door to my apartment. I jingled my keys, hoping to jog Kurosaki out of whatever he was thinking. He kind of jumped at the sound of my voice, shaking his head as he headed over towards me.

"Alright, let's get this thing started." Kurosaki mumbled, forcing the warmth from his cheeks as he shoved the Mod-Souls pill back into his pocket.

• • •

"Gah..! I didn't think that it would be this hard to find a dead animal!" I exclaimed, lightly stretching my calf muscles by rocking up to the tips of my toes. We'd been walking around for quite a while now just looking for a dead animal to place that Mod-Soul in. The sun was just beginning to set, casting everything in a warm orange and red glow.

"Yeah, well, I didn't think it'd be that easy." Kurosaki said, rolling his eyes as he looked around for any sign of a dead animal.

"I'm thinking of calling it quits for today. I've still got homework that I need to finish." I moaned, bringing my hand up to slap my exposed forehead.

"Maybe you're right," Kurosaki agreed as he took the pill out of his pocket again, "We can figure out something for him later."

I nodded, taking a few more steps forward. However, some dark lump on the ground caught my eye; it was located on the side of a road, not too far from a street lamp that was just flickering to life.

"Hey, I think I see something~!" I squealed, not too sure if I should be happy or not if it really was the carcass of an animal.

"What is it..?" Kurosaki muttered, slowly following behind me. I was just creeping towards it, covering my eyes with my hands. Although, I was peeking through my fingers, so it's not like it did any good in the first place.

I let out a sigh of relief; it wasn't a dead animal. "It's just a stuffed animal. And a dirty one at that." I felt kind of torn; should I have been sad that it wasn't an animal's carcass? Did that make me a bad person..? Ah, this was so confusing..! I was in a freaking moral dilemma thanks to that Mod-Soul!

"Maybe get can get Rukia to find us a dead animal, or something. She's always showing up with random crap…" Kurosaki muttered, thinking back to all of the stuff that supported his theory.

"Hey, watch it Kurosaki. She got most of that stuff from me. And I definitely don't have any dead animals." I warned, before my eyes fell back onto the lump of the lion plushie. "Wait a second, why don't we try and put it in this?"

"Sure, I don't see why we couldn't try." Kurosaki agreed. "It's not like it'd hurt anything."

Shrugging, Kurosaki shoved the small pill into the plushie's mouth.

We both sat there in silence, staring at the stuffed animal.

Waiting for it to move. Waiting for it to show any sign of life.

I blinked trying to fight off the sudden urge I had to just poke it. The temptation was too great, so I caved. I slowly moved my finger towards it head, and gave it a sharp poke before moving my finger and observing it with wide eyes.

Still nothing.

"I guess it didn't work." Kurosaki observed, looking a bit disappointed.

"Yeah, I don't think it worked either…" I mumbled sadly, looking down at the plushie for another few seconds.

However, its beady little eyes looked like they glinted in the light. The next thing I knew, the plushie had stood up and launched itself towards me, causing me to shriek out in surprise.

"Jun-Kun~!" The Mod-Soul within the lion plushie exclaimed, wrapping its arms around my chest.

Kurosaki's eyes dangerously narrowed as they zeroed in on the lion plushie clinging to my chest, who was snuggling into my cleavage, causing him to lightly growl. With a sudden movement, Kurosaki ripped the lion from my chest and threw him back onto the dirty street. "What was that about?!"

"I was trapped in the lint filled space of your pocket, not being able to get any fresh air at all! And the next thing I saw was Jun-Kun and I could move again~!" The Mod-Soul exclaimed, striking a pose only to pause. "But, wait..! You've all turned into giants!"

"You moron." Kurosaki insulted. "We're not giants; you're just small."

"I'm not…small…" The Mod-Soul trailed off, unsure of his words as he brought his clawed little hands up to his face. He observed that they were indeed stuffed, golden, and had plastic little lion nails attached to them. "Nooo~! What happened to me?!"

"We couldn't find a body to put you in, so this one will have to do for now. It's either this, or you can be in pill form and stuck in Kurosaki's pocket all day long." I said, gesturing to Kurosaki with my thumb.

"Thank yooooou~!" The Mod-Soul exclaimed, making a run for me yet again. I quickly crossed my arms, as Kurosaki grabbed him back the back of his big plush head.

"Stupid, perverted little…" Kurosaki muttered, glaring at the plushie.

"Let me go!" The Mod-Soul whined, making a reaching movement towards me again, "I must go and hug Jun-Kun to show her how much I appreciated her kindness..!"

"No way!" Kurosaki argued, glaring at the plushie.

"B-B-But, Jun-Kun…"

"I said no!"

"Guys, we still have to address the issue about who's keeping him." I brought up, blinking as they froze. The Mod-Soul had been tugging on Kurosaki's mouth, while Kurosaki was trying to pry him off. It was quite an entertaining sight.

If the plushie could have been drooling, I swear it would have. Its eyes looked all foggy and its little mouth was dropped down as far as it could go. Even Kurosaki's mouth had dropped open, and his face once again rivaled the color of his namesake.

"Um, guys..?" I asked, blinking confusion.

"Jun-Kun~!" The plushie cooed, violently trying to free itself from Kurosaki's grip, who just threw him to the ground and proceeded to stomp on him. He wouldn't meet my questioning gaze, as he continued to step on the wailing lion plush.

"Kurosaki..?" I questioned.

"J-Just uncross your arms, woman..!" Kurosaki sputtered out, still the color of a strawberry. I blinked, before looking down as well. I blushed myself; crossing my arms over my chest wasn't the brightest idea when I was wearing an extremely low cut V neck shirt.

"S-Sorry..!" I squeaked out an apology, quickly uncrossing my arms and pulling my shirt up some more to cover my chest. I felt strangely overexposed now…

"I want Jun-Kun to keep me~!" The plushie wailed out once Kurosaki stopped stomping on him.

"Idiot," Kurosaki darkly choked out, stomping on the plush again. "I guess he'll stay with me. I really don't think it's a good idea for him to stay with you."

"Thanks~!" I cheered, happy that I didn't have to have that perverted Mod-Soul staying in my apartment. He'd probably attack me in my sleep or something… "I'm sure Rukia will love him~!"

I waved toward him as I quickly spun around and made my way back to my apartment before Kurosaki could change his mind. However, I couldn't stop from smiling at the dumbstruck look on his face. I even giggled a bit, which wasn't like me at all.

I hate to admit it, but Kurosaki sure was funny at times.

He was actually growing on me.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

• • •

I grunted a bit as I threw myself back onto my mattress… This was getting ridiculous..! I hadn't been able to have a decent night's sleep in weeks. Granted, I never slept well most of the time, but it seemed so much worse now.

Usually I was able to get a couple of hours of sleep every night, even if that did mean just two or so. However, recently, I've barely been able to get one; it seemed like every time I shut my eyes those memories came flying back.

I blinked my blurry vision clear, looking at the electric green alarm clock next to my bed; 2:18 am.

Running my fingers through my hair, I continued to inhale and exhale in a rhythmic pattern. If I couldn't sleep, then I'd just try meditating for a bit. Clearing my head usually did the trick every once in a while. Squeezing my eyes shut, I wiped my thoughts away…

Slowly drifting off into my sleep.

However, it would better be described as revisiting my nightmares.

• • •

 _I had just turned four years old._

 _I was still young and very naïve. My innocence made my parents proud; they never wanted me to be dragged into their own problems. That's the reason why, on that day, I had been allowed to visit my Grandfather._

 _It was the first time that I'd seen him since I was born, probably. I remembered hearing stories about him from my Mom, but that was it. I was too young to understand the depth of the division between my Mom and her family, so I didn't even try to understand._

 _It was a nice, sunny day. Very warm for normal days in April; normally people would expect the last chances of snow, not lukewarm almost summer days. During my visit with my Grandfather, my older cousin had shown up. I hadn't been close to him either, so it was like I had made a new friend. The three of us, including our Grandfather, went hiking to a beautiful clearing in the forest, while he told us stories about warriors who fought against evil monsters to protect everyone._

 _This struck a chord with me, I remember._

 _I had always been able to see those monsters. I knew that his words were real, not just some story out of a storybook. Grandfather probably knew that I wasn't stupid, even for four years old. I might have been innocent and naïve, but I could still put two and two together._

 _However, I didn't question him about it; how could I, in front of my older cousin who was amazed by those stories..?_

 _My Uncle, my cousin's father, was the one to take me home._

 _Mom was waiting outside, leaning against our front door as we arrived. Uncle had helped me from his car, walking with me to the door. For the life of me, I can't remember the cool words that they exchanged; but, I do remember the feelings. It all seemed sort of forced, tense even. Both of their glasses glinted in the light as they finished exchanging curt greetings and a false "How are you doing?", along with goodbyes._

 _"_ _Junko, let's go inside. It's getting late." Mom said, looking down at me with her warm honey brown eyes. They were so much brighter and full of life than Uncle's were, even if they were hidden behind glasses. Her deep black hair fell down in a curtain as she easily picked me up and carried me inside._

 _"_ _*Kaa-San..!" I squealed as she picked me up, not expecting it. A smile flitted across her face, as she then began spinning around with me in her arms, causing me to laugh._

 _"_ _Did you have a nice visit with your *Ojii-San?" Mom asked once she stopped, a smaller smile on her face. This one seemed forced, even to me as a dense four year old._

 _I brought my small hands up to her cheeks, spreading them further apart so that the smile dramatically widened. I smiled myself, "Yes, going to Ojii-San's was so much fun! I even met *Itoko-Kun..!"_

 _"_ _Sounds like you had a lot of fun." Mom mused, smiling despite her harsh feelings towards her family. She was making an effort so that I could get to know them, I understood that much. That's why Mom wasn't there with my Grandfather, too. They didn't get along that well. Mom was somewhat closer to Uncle, but it was still tense and strained._

 _"_ _Yeah..! I'll get to go back again soon, right?" I asked, feeling my bright blue eyes widen in anticipation for her answer. I knew that she couldn't resist my eyes when I made them bigger; they were just like my Dad's._

 _"_ _We'll see about that." She answered back, her smile back to its frail state. I didn't like seeing Mom like that; I wanted her to be happy._

 _"_ _Well, well~! It sounds like someone had a fun visit!"_

 _I squealed yet again, feeling myself flying upwards in the air. Dad's arms circled around my waist, pulling me back into his arms with a smile. Giggles erupted from my mouth as he tickled me; he knew all of my ticklish spots. I squirmed around in this grip, but it was too strong for me to break out of. I squealed again, "*Tou-San..!"_

 _"_ _Hayate..!" Mom chastised, pointing at him with one of her fingers. A faux glare appeared on her face as she wiggled her finger; it was like she was talking to another child. "Don't get Jun all worked up! It's almost her bedtime..!"_

 _"_ _Hehe, sorry about that…" Dad replied, tucking me under one of his arms as he used the other to scratch the back of his short silver hair. His blue eyes were closed sheepishly, hiding our matching orbs._

 _Mom then easily pulled me from under his arm, and cradled me in her arms again. I smiled, running my small hands through her long dark hair. It was so soft, like silk._

 _We had a nice family dinner. I remember that Mom was a great cook; and she had made all of my favorites that night!_

 _"_ _Now it's time for bed, Jun." Mom cooed, as she lightly tapped the tip of my nose with her finger, causing me to go cross eyed as I looked at it resting on my nose. She chuckled, before picking me up. "You know it's already way past your bed time, so… Off we go!"_

 _"_ _But… Kaa-San!" I whined, "I don't wanna go to sleep yet..!"_

 _"_ _And why not?" She asked, her glasses flashing for a second before she moved her head to the side in a curious manner, blinking._

 _"_ _Cause…" I paused, trying to think up a good excuse. "I-I'm not tired..!"_

 _"_ _There's nothing to be afraid of, Jun-Kun!" Dad piped in, as he followed Mom and me into my room, walking backwards and smiling at me. He always knew how to calm me down and keep me at ease. Dad kneeled down on one side of my bed while Mom placed me in it, tucking the covers up to my waist as I sat up._

 _"_ _Your Tou-San's right, Jun." Mom spoke up, running her hands through my chin length dark hair. "We will always be here to protect you."_

 _Mom smiled down at me; a mirror image of my smile today._

 _"_ _Of course..!" Dad spoke, ruffling my short hair. It stuck up on its ends, looking more like a birds nest. Mom sighed, before trying to fix it once more. "We'll always protect 'ya from those scary monsters..!"_

 _"_ _Tou-San..!" I whined, as Mom raked her fingers through the tangles in my hair, causing me to wince. He just chuckled sheepishly, shooting me a sly grin._

 _"_ _Good night," Both spoke at the same time, kissing each of my cheeks. Standing up, they walked over to my doorway, flickering off the light. All that was left was my panda night light, barely producing any light at all._

 _"_ _Sleep tight, Jun-Kun." Dad advised, "Don't let the bed bugs bite~!"_

 _"_ _Night, Tou-San…" I murmured, snuggling into my pillow and feeling my eyelids grow heavy; I was tired, after all._

 _I remember waking up from my slumber early, like I usually did. However, this time something seemed…off. I swear that I heard a howl, like the ones from those monsters. Shooting up from my bed, I sat there and stared out of my window. The tree outside was casting dark, scary shadows. They rapidly moved back and forth. I now know that the wind was blowing the bare branches, creating the moving shadows. But, none the less, it scared the four year old me. Then I felt a heavy pressure, making me stiffen in surprise. Another animal like howl echoed through my room. I jammed my small hands to my ears, hoping that it would block out the sound. It was no use, the howling only got worse._

 _I had broken out in a cold sweat, my face glistening in the barely there light. Even my panda night light had flickered out, leaving me sitting there in the dark with barely any light coming in through the window. Trying to be brave, I threw the rest of the covers off of me, and tiptoed out of my room. I had to check on Mom and Dad, to make sure that they were okay. I felt scared for them and the feeling sat like a brick in my stomach._

 _When I made it to their room, I saw that they were gone._

 _I yelped out loud as I heard another howl, and ran back to my room. I slipped on a pair of shoes, and threw a bright yellow raincoat on over my pajamas. I could hear the rain pounding against the window, so I also grabbed my small umbrella._

 _I stepped outside, but the wind was too fierce. It turned my umbrella inside out, ripping it out of my small grip. I shivered, pulling my hood closer to my face. The pressure seemed to get even worse..!_

 _It was darker than it should be outside; like all of the light had run away and were hiding behind the thick black clouds. Even the moon wasn't peering through like it usually would. The wind blew me forward, almost like it was guiding me._

 _I followed the wind for what seemed life forever. But it wasn't that long at all, actually. But, I finally saw the horrible monster._

 _It was huge; much larger than any of the other monsters that I had seen before. This one gave the buildings a run for their money. It looked like a mix between an elephant and a lizard… having what looked like black scale-like skin, a long trunk, and tusks. Its hands were like lizard claws, and it also had a mane like some scary lizards had. There were red jagged lines all over its black body, while its mask remained a stark white._

 _My sharp eyes zeroed in on two figures that were fighting off the creature… Mom and Dad!_

 _Dad was dressed in a black kimono, with a large sword in his hand. There was also a white haori over the black kimono, although it looked tattered and torn. Mom was behind him, knees on the ground as she was holding her shoulder._

 _"_ _You'll never catch me..!" The monster howled out, its voice similar to nails on a chalkboard. A shiver worked its way down my small spine, causing me to shudder. The monster sent its claw towards Dad, leaving a few gashes on him that seemed to weep crimson blood. He managed to knock the claw back with his large sword, charging towards it._

 _I looked around and took in the damage. All around them, buildings had been knocked down and destroyed, trees were uprooted, and cars were upturned and sitting on their roofs or on their sides. A few power lines had been knocked down and broken, causing electricity to crackle dangerously near them._

 _"_ _Tou-San…" I whispered, my eyes wide as I saw him try to fight off the monster, just like he said he would. My words were downed in a loud clap of thunder from the dark clouds, as a strike of lighting lit up the area._

 _I blinked in surprise; the monster had struck its claw straight through Dad's stomach..! No!_

 _"_ _Hayate!" Mom cried out, her face white and panic stricken. Blood had splattered everywhere, making it look like it was raining just blood and not water for a couple of seconds. I saw Mom stand up, running towards the monster._

 _She wasn't quick enough._

 _I saw the monster swivel, thrusting the same claw through her chest._

 _The look on her face… it was horrible!_

 _She was pale, with blood splatters on her cheeks. Her eyes were wide, as if she didn't feel the pain and was just surprised. Her glasses were cracked, and covered with streaks of water. I screamed in horror as the monster swiped its claw to the side, ripping her entire left side off. Mom tumbled to the ground, not moving._

 _"_ _Another one..?" The monster shrieked, turning as its bright yellow eyes landed on me. I had tried hiding behind a nearby tree, but it was too thin and didn't hide all of me. I gasped, not being able to find the strength to move my legs. The pressure seemed to increase tenfold, as I fell to my knees._

 _I screamed as it lunged at me, covering my eyes with my hands and hanging my head. I waited for the impact that I was sure was going to come, but I felt nothing. Tentatively, I spread my fingers apart, looking through them._

 _"_ _Tou-San..!" I exhaled, happy. He was still alive!_

 _Dad looked horrible. He was covered in blood, staining his white haori crimson. His normally lightly tanned skin was as white as a piece of paper, and his eyes had dark circles under them._

 _"_ _Run away, now..!" He choked out, coughing blood up. "I-It's not safe… go..!"_

 _Dad's body limply fell to the ground, his chest heaving. I cried out his name again, crawling my way over towards his side. Shaking his shoulder, I called out his name, over and over again. He didn't answer._

 _"_ _Tou-San… Tou-San..! Wake up! You promised!" I hysterically cried, feeling the rain mix with the tears that cascaded down my face. "You promised me! You promised me that you'd protect me from those monsters! You promised me!"_

 _The air thickened again._

 _I felt like I couldn't breathe._

 _"_ _That's…right." A voice said, "I did promise that."_

 _Dad started to glow with a bright white light that hurt to look at. It engulfed his body, covering him from head to toe. He slowly rose up, climbing to his feet as he steadied his sword. When he opened his eyes, they were no longer a bright blue like my own._

 _They were a fiery white color, just like the light covering him._

 _"_ _I'm sorry, but…" He spoke, his words sounding painful. "This is the last monster that I will be able to protect you from."_

 _The light seemed to drain from his body, collecting in his large sword. It spiraled around, looking like a large dragon. Pointing his sword at the monster, the light dragon darted out, colliding with it. The monster shrieked out in pain as the dragon clawed and bit at it, breaking its mask. It then vanished..!_

 _"_ _Tou-San..! Tou-San, you did it..!" I exclaimed, grinning brightly as I watched the monster fade away._

 _"_ _Sorry, Jun-Kun…" Dad gasped out, causing my eyes to snap back to him._

 _He looked awful. His body collapsed to the ground, and I watched in horror as his chest stopped moving up and down; he was no longer breathing. Whatever color that he had was gone, drained from his face. His wounds seemed to overflow with blood, as I watched it pool around him. The light that had previously lit up the area from the dragon faded away as well, leaving us in the dark._

 _"_ _N-No… No…!" I cried out in horror, placing my small hand to his cheek. It felt like ice; there was no longer any of the warmth that he always had. I shook my head from side to side ferociously, not wanting to believe it._

 _I shakily stood to my feet, beginning to run over to Mom._

 _If Dad was dead, then she had to be alive._

 _They both couldn't leave me here like this._

 _A flash of lightening illuminated her carcass, causing my eyes to widen. I'd never seen anything so grotesque in my life. The loud peals of thunder downed out my screams of terror._

 _I couldn't breathe._

 _This couldn't be real..!_

 _It all had to be a nightmare!_

 _I felt dizzy, still hyperventilating. I fell to the ground in a heap, not finding the energy to move. Everything seemed to fade into darkness, as I was left to my tears; mourning the death of my parents with the Earth._

 _The rain picked up, pounding like quick tears._

 _I was alone._

• • •

I sucked in a breath of air, filling my lungs to the brim as I shot up from my bed. I clutched my heart with my hand, feeling the erratic heartbeat. It was beating quickly…

My breaths were coming in sharp gasps, as my body felt the after effects from my nightmare. Each time I was woken up from it, it remembered the panic attack that it had gone through on that night.

I brought my hands up to my face, wiping away the sheen of cold sweat. I shuddered, pulling the thin blanket closer to me as I buried my face in the fabric and lightly screamed in agony.

I wanted to forget about it all, but the memories wouldn't easily be buried. They resurfaced almost every night, causing me to live in the past. I hated the feeling of being so weak and helpless. Feeling that I couldn't do anything to help stop what I knew was going to happen. And if I didn't dream about my parents being slaughtered before my eyes, then I dreamed of my countless foster parents following in their footsteps..!

The Hollows had been attracted to me because of my high reiatsu that I wasn't able to control. It grew as I got older, causing even more problems.

I was motivated to do anything I could to not let anyone else perish from the Hollows, like many had before. That's why I became a Shinigami. If I hadn't…more would have sought me out and attacked whoever to get to me.

A part of me wondered if my parents would have been proud of me for becoming a Shinigami. After all, from what I remembered from that night, Dad was a Shinigami as well. But, Mom's family disowned her for marrying a Shinigami. They surely wouldn't welcome me with open arms now that I was one as well. I knew that much already.

I shakily took in a gulp of hair, running my hands across my face before burying them in my hair as I grasped onto the roots. I had to pull myself together.

Remembering everything like that and living in the past will only make things more difficult in the long run. Nothing I can possibly do could change the past. Because of that, I should just focus on the future instead.

Besides, I couldn't let anyone worry about me.

I refused to have people spend their time and energy worrying about me; just the thought of people doing so disgusted me. I was supposed to be strong enough to care for myself.

So, I'd just have to keep on going.

Taking things simple, one step in front of the other.

I wouldn't show anyone my weakness. I had to keep a tough front.

Sparing a glance at the alarm clock, I saw that it was only 4:02 am. Might as well get ready for the day; nothing had changed in all of these years.

• • •

Alright, I'm sure you saw the little asterisks in the story.

That's because, I'll tell you what they mean down here, if you don't already know what they mean.

* Kaa-San: Mom

* Ojii-San: Grandfather

* Itoko-Kun: Older male cousin

* Tou-San: Father


	17. Chapter Sixteen

• • •

"Jun-Chan~!"

I blinked, searching for whoever had called my name. I soon spotted the familiar head of auburn hair that belonged to none other than Orihime.

"Oh! Hey, Orihime." I said, forcing a smile on my face. It was hard to act normal after experiencing the dream again last night and getting little sleep at all. I felt so out of it today.

"Is something wrong, Jun-Chan?" Orihime asked, seeming to zone in on the slight change in my personality and the forced smile. However, I saw Tatsuki running up to us, so I shook my head sweetly.

"Oh, nothing! I'm perfectly fine!" I answered, faking enthusiasm.

Orihime smiled, my act seemed to fool her. However, I could easily see the skeptical look on Tatsuki's face. She wasn't fooled.

"That's good to hear!" Orihime cheerfully replied, smiling as we made our way into the classroom that we all shared. All of our desks happened to be near each other; we were lucky.

"Tatsuki!"

"What?" Tatsuki asked, looking over her shoulder to see who had called out her name. Michiru ran over to our huddle of desks, looking quite unsure of herself.

"Tatsuki, you have art class, right?" Michiru asked, clutching her bag to her chest. She looked really nervous, so I wondered what was up with her. She wasn't usually like this.

"Yeah…" Tatsuki replied, wondering what her having art class had to do with anything.

"Did you do the project 'My Future Self'?"

"I did, but why are you asking?"

"Show me! I'm not confident about mine..!"

Tatsuki nodded, before rummaging around in her bag before pulling her artwork out to show us.

"Wow!" Michiru exclaimed.

"It's amazing..!" I cooed, looking at the drawing.

The project, like Michiru had mentioned, was called 'My Future Self.' We were supposed to draw ourselves in the future, which was obvious. Although, we were supposed to focus on what we'd be doing in the years from now, like career wise and stuff.

Tatsuki had illustrated her dream of becoming a martial arts champion. She was holding up the belt, her opponent passed out on the floor of the ring in a heap.

"I'll be the future champ of women's martial arts!" Tatsuki smugly exclaimed, as she crossed her arms over her shoulder.

"So cool…" Michiru cooed, before looking down at her art project with downcast eyes. "I really shouldn't show my crappy one. Tatsuki is so good, yet she doesn't want to be an artist..! How about you, Jun? What did you draw?"

"Huh? Me?" I questioned, before shrugging and digging through my messenger bag for my art project. "I really didn't spend as much time on it as I would have liked… But, it's good enough, I suppose."

"Incredible!" Michiru exclaimed, her eyes wide as she looked at my drawing as well.

"It's perfect!" Orihime complimented, as Tatsuki nodded her head in agreement. "I didn't know that you wanted to be a singer..!"

"Well, it's the first thing that I thought of." I sheepishly admitted, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment. I knew that it was a crappy thing to draw. After all, singing isn't a real career. I should have just stuck with my idea of being a doctor instead.

I had drawn the future me on stage, seated a beautiful black grand piano. My fingers were shown pressing lightly on the keys of ivory and ebony in a difficult chord, while a microphone was positioned near my mouth. When I was younger, I had always wanted to be a singer. Mom had the best voice in the world, and she'd usually sing me to sleep whenever I would wake up from bad dreams. She also tried to teach me how to play the piano, and I was good for a four year old.

"Okay, what about you, Orihime?" Michiru asked, drawing everyone's attention to Orihime. I was glad for that, because I could feel my eyes beginning to sting with unshed tears, just from thinking about the past so easily like that. "What did you draw?"

"Ehehe~! I was hoping you'd ask!" Orihime laughed, grinning widely as she dug through her bag as well. "In fact, I'm secretly proud of it!"

"I wonder what it looks like..?" Michiru lightly asked, waiting for Orihime to show her work of art.

I shook my head clean of those depressing thoughts, as I tried to join back in on the conversation.

There was really no telling what Orihime would draw. It was a little nerve wrecking just thinking about what she'd come up with, using that overactive imagination of hers.

"Max speed is 380 KM/H! Flames of 20,000° Celsius shoot from the mouth and special destructo-beams shoot from the eyes!" Orihime exclaimed, happily pointing to the robot version of herself that she had drawn.

I felt a sweat drop rolling down the back of my head as a deadpan expression took over my face. Was she even allowed to draw that..? But, after all, that could be considered her in the future… The WAY distant future, but still in the future.

"It's not like that, Orihime!" Tatsuki shouted, "That's different! Do you want to get detention again?!"

"Huh?" Orihime asked, not understanding. She blinked a few times in confusion before her eyes zoomed in on someone in the background, "Ah!"

Orihime had spotted her prey, and was going in for the attack.

"Good morning, Kurosaki-Kun~!" Orihime exclaimed, waving her hands wildly in the air as she grinned like an idiot.

Kurosaki seemed to freeze for a second, before turning around with a fake smile on his face. "Hey! Morning, Inoue!"

Tatsuki and I exchanged looks with each other; it was obvious that something was different with Kurosaki. Was it Kon instead..?

Ah! Kon was that Mod-Soul! Kurosaki decided to name him Kon, short for Kaizo Konpaku. Kon whined about the name, wanting to be called Kai instead. I have to admit, Kai did sound much cooler than Kon. But, Kurosaki explained to me that he thought Kai sounded too cool for the Mod-Soul, so we should call him Kon instead.

"Wha..? What was that?" Michiru questioned. "Ichigo's in a real good mood today? Isn't he, Orihime?"

"Why… is Kurosaki-Kun so tense?" Orihime questioned, watching the strawberry as he made his way to his seat.

"Eh, what are you talking about?" Michiru asked, looking confused. "That's the first time I've seen Ichigo smile like that." She looked at Orihime weirdly, wondering if she was just being spacy again.

"Hey, what day is today?" Tatsuki asked, as she stood up from her seated position on the top of the desk.

"June sixteenth." I answered, knowing the date off of the top of my head. I had remembered the date showing up on my alarm clock throughout the countless times I'd glanced at it this morning. "Why? Does the date have anything to do with the reason why he's acting so tense?"

"You're both really amazing," Tatsuki said, sadly smiling. "It took me three years to realize 'that'."

"Tatsuki-Chan..?" Orihime questioned, her brows slightly furrowed.

"If you have some urgent business with Ichigo, finish it today." Tatsuki advised, her eyes meeting mine for a split fraction of a second before she looked away and at his back. "Because he… will be taking tomorrow off."

It was silent after that, and my eyes locked with Rukia's knowing violet orbs. She had been listening in to our conversation, although she was trying to look busy from behind a magazine. She held my gaze until I decided to break it and walk over to my desk behind hers. I lazily opened our history book, ruffling through the pages before class started.

"Jun, is something wrong?" Rukia asked, turning around in her desk so that she faced me. I tried to avoid the deep purple gaze, but found it increasingly difficult.

"Hm? No, nothing's wrong. I'm fine." I spoke, forcing another smile on my face as I shut my eyes, praying that she would believe me.

"Are you sure?" She asked, studying me with a caring look.

Rukia knew nothing about my past. The only other soul that knew about it was Urahara, and possibly Tessai and Urahara's friend Yoruichi. But, they were the only ones. I just couldn't bring myself to talk about it again. And, I trusted that Urahara wouldn't tell anyone.

"Uh, yeah! Of course I'm sure, see?" I questioned, forcing yet another fake smile and putting my pointer fingers at the corners of the smile. I called this my 'Yachiru Smile,' because this is what she'd do. "See, nothing's wrong!"

"Alright. However, you know that you can always come and talk to me if anything is wrong." Rukia said, her eyes sparkling with concern.

"Yeah, I know." I muttered, sighing as I dropped my hands and the fake smile. "Thanks for worrying."

"Hey, Jun-Chan!" Orihime called out, waving her hand in front of my face to get my attention. "Do you want to come over to my place tonight? Tatsuki-Chan's coming over, too, so it'll be a lot of fun! What do you say?"

"Um," I hedged, not too sure if it was a good idea to go and spend time with her and Tatsuki, but I had to cave after I saw the pleading look she shot me. "Okay, I'll come over. What time?"

"Show up around six. We'll have some dinner and dessert, my treat!" Orihime happily exclaimed, bouncing up and down in her excitement.

"Sounds great." I laughed, actually smiling a little bit. "I can't wait."

These people really knew how to cheer me up.

Maybe it was because they were still humans, like I was? I hadn't been around living human beings in years, so it felt nice to be kind of normal again; well, as normal as I could ever possibly be.

Sure, Orihime might space out a lot and be hyper and kind of ditzy, but she was still my friend. The same thing goes for Tatsuki; she might be freakishly strong and a tomboy, but she was still a friend.

I feel like I can trust Orihime and Tatsuki as much as I trust Rukia. Hell, I even feel like I've started trusting Kurosaki and seeing him as a friend.

"Great..!" Orihime exclaimed, going on and on about what she could possibly fix for dinner and dessert. I couldn't fight the real smile that tugged at my lips, and I giggled at some of the combinations that she described.

Because I was talking to Orihime, I missed the left out look cross over Rukia's face. Of course, it was only natural for her to feel like that; I hadn't been spending nearly as much time with her as I usually did. But, I was so caught up in building friendships with the humans around me, I didn't notice her loneliness building up.

• • •

"You know, I think that you actually cooked a pretty decent dinner." Tatsuki stated, patting the top of Orihime's head as the former beamed at her accomplishment.

"Yeah, it was pretty good! I was a little worried when I saw it jiggle, but that was definitely the best thing that I've had in a while." I said, giggling a bit and smiling. They both burst out laughing at the same time with me, knowing that my words were true.

"See! I'm a good cook!" Orihime stated, striking a body builder pose and trying to flex her muscles.

"You guys are so silly, you make me laugh!" I exclaimed, holding my sides that were aching from so much laughter.

"Well, your laugh makes us laugh..!" Tatsuki defended, grinning.

"Yeah!" Orihime nodded, grinning and laughing a bit. "You squeak when you laugh! It's really funny!"

"I can't help it~!" I whined, still laughing. "This is how I've always laughed." I covered my mouth with my hands, trying to stifle the laugher that tried to keep on coming out.

Everyone has to admit that laughing is contagious. Especially when a group of teenage girls are involved in the situation. It does a lot, lifting my feelings. I hadn't felt this at ease in a long time.

"So, Tatsuki-Chan…" Orihime trailed off as we all got our laughing under control. She had decided to change the subject, because she was still curious about what we had been talking about earlier that day. "Why won't Kurosaki-Kun be at school tomorrow? You never told us."

Tatsuki scratched the back of her head. "Well, to answer that, I'd have to tell you the whole story."

"Well, we have time." I said, lightly tossing my hair back behind my shoulders, and moving my bangs out of my eyes so I could clearly see Tatsuki. "Right, Orihime?"

"Yep! I don't mind how long the story is!" Orihime agreed, nodding. We exchanged smiles before turning our gazes towards Tatsuki, pleading looks covering our faces.

"Oh, alright. Alright already!" Tatsuki said, not being able to refuse our puppy dog looks. "But don't interrupt me!"

Tatsuki then made herself comfortable as she sat cross-legged on Orihime's bed. Orihime and I made ourselves comfortable by lying on the floor with a bunch of pillows and stared up at Tatsuki with big eyes. It was like an elementary school teacher having story time with her class.

"Okay," Tatsuki breathed in, pausing to collect her thoughts before she began the story. "We first met when we were four at the dojo that I went to. I noticed him first because of his flashy hair color and because he was holding hands with such a pretty Mom, smiling like crazy the entire time. So scrawny and grinning like an idiot… He looked incredibly puny. He really was, too. He cried whenever he lost." Tatsuki paused to smile and punch her other hand with a fist, thinking back on those memories. "You know, at the dojo, I was the first one to make that guy cry. One blow to the upper body! It didn't take more than ten seconds that time. But, you know, even though he cried, he started smiling again in no time, whenever he saw the face of his Mom when she came to pick him up. I really hated that. A man who loses like that shouldn't be smiling like an idiot!"

Tatsuki paused for a second, looking away from us as she laced her hands together and put them in her lap. "That's what I'd think when I'd see that smile. He really was spoiled, and he stuck to his Mom like glue. But… He looked so happy, laughing so pleasantly… That was… the beginning." She paused when she unlaced her fingers, holding her head in one of her hands as she looked down. "His Mother died. When he was nine years old. Well, I was nine at that time, too, but that doesn't really matter. Anyway, even at nine, he was still spoiled, grinning dumbly, and stuck to his Mom. But she died. Starting the next day, he skipped school. When I wondered what he was up to and went looking for him, he was at the riverbank where his Mother died, carrying his schoolbag from morning till night."

She paused for a bit, her voice sounding weak and filled with emotion. Tatsuki really sounded as if she were about to cry herself. I felt my eyes glaze over; I understood what he went though.

"It looked like he was searching for his Mom… Wandering, wandering… He would squat down if he was tired, but soon after he'd then stand up to wander again. Every single day, from morning till night… It was so hard to see him like that..! The Ichigo from that time…"

"Poor Kurosaki-Kun… I never knew." Orihime spoke as she closed her eyes and slightly frowned.

"So, that's why…" I spoke, trailing off as I felt their gazes fall on me. "He always acts so tough, but deep within him he's hiding all of those memories and feelings from so long ago. They must have drug him down so much that all he wanted to do was to break free. He wanted to forget, so he hid all of them deep within him, like in a little box. He probably didn't want to worry anyone with those memories… That's probably how he became the Kurosaki that you all know today, the only Kurosaki that I've known."

"I'd never thought of it that way before." Orihime said. "But, that does sound very convincing. That's probably what I would do if that ever happened."

That's how I knew, because that's what I did. After my parent's death, after all of my foster parent's deaths… I would put up a shield around my heart. I tried to guard myself from heartbreak, deciding that it was better not to get close to anyone than getting close and losing them. The first person to get past that shield was Urahara; he was the one who started to help me take it down.

"Jun-Chan, are you alright?" Orihime asked, breaking the depressing train of thoughts that were running through my mind. "You don't look too good. You look really pale."

"Oh, I'm alright." I answered. "I do feel a little bad, but that's all. That just means that it's probably gonna rain soon… I always feel kind of sick before it rains. Besides, it hasn't rained a drop since I've been here."

"Really? You get sick every time before it rains?" Orihime questioned with wide eyes.

"I usually get something similar to a cold. My nose gets all stuffy, I start to sneeze and cough all the time, and I'm usually really cold even if it's warm." I explained, shrugging my shoulders before a grin stretched across my lips. "When I was young, for a while, my parents thought that I was allergic to rain clouds! That was always funny…"

"They did say that there was a chance of rain tomorrow, although it wasn't a very high chance." Tatsuki said, skeptically looking at me.

"Well, it's happened ever since I can remember. But, I get over it after it's rained and the air is clear. Actually, I'm probably allergic to all of the pollution in the air..?" I mused, fake smiling again. "Besides, I haven't been sleeping well these past few nights, and I think that it's caught up with me. 'Cause, you know, you always seem to get sick when you haven't been sleeping well. So if I'm not at school tomorrow, you guys will know why. I'll probably feel bad enough not to come in, and I don't know if it's contagious or not. So… if I'm not there, could one of you guys tell the teacher and get any make-up work?"

"Sure! But I hope that you will feel better by tomorrow morning, Jun-Chan." Orihime answered, lightly smiling.

"Me too, Orihime, me too."


	18. Chapter Seventeen

• • •

Breathing in and out through my mouth, I felt horrible. I was too congested to breath normally though my nose and my head was pounding. I could feel my pulse pounding in my clogged ears, keeping me awake. Raising my hand to my temple, I gently massaged the side of my forehead; the pressure was killing me.

 **Beep. Beep. Beep.**

I wearily reached over to my alarm clock, surprised that it had actually gone off for once. Normally, because I couldn't sleep, I'd always turn it off before it went off. I opened my eyes, blinking away the blurriness as I sat up and stretched. My body felt stiff, and I was cold.

Yeah, it was definitely going to rain soon.

If not, then I guess I had actually caught a cold or something.

I sneezed, falling back on my bed from the force of the sneeze. I groaned, hitting my head against my pillow before sighing.

Maybe I really shouldn't go to school today..?

Kurosaki was skipping, that was a known fact after I heard that story yesterday. If he skipped, that probably meant that Rukia would skip as well. It really would be boring without them there. Besides, Tatsuki and Orihime knew that I wasn't feeling too well last night; I had progressively gotten worse before I decided to leave Orihime's apartment earlier than usual.

I rolled out of bed, deciding that it was better to try and move around then just lay down all day long. I flipped on the TV as I made myself some breakfast, just opting out on a piece of toast and a large glass of orange juice.

But, what should I do today?

I really had no clue, and I didn't like the idea of being pent up in my apartment all day long. That would be worse than actually going to school not feeling well.

Well… I could go and visit my parent's graves.

After all, after hearing Tatsuki's story about Kurosaki's Mom last night, I've wanted to go and visit my parent's graves. It's been years since I last visited them and so many things had changed. I just hope that I remembered how to find their graves…

I sighed, knowing that I wasn't a very good daughter.

Shoving the rest of the toast in my mouth, I decided that it would be a good idea to shower first. So, that's what I did. Since I was still a little cold, even after taking a scalding hot shower, I dressed in some of my heavier clothes. I opted for a sweater dress that was thick and heavy; it felt nice and warm against my cool skin. It was black, with deep red colored horizontal stripes going across it. It was short sleeved, but it had a wide collar that hung down, exposing the tops of my shoulders. I put on a pair of black long leggings, along with a pair of black UGG boots.

I decided just to straighten my hair today and not tease it, just leaving it flat. I had inherited my Mom's vision, even if I had my Dad's eye color, so I didn't put my contacts in this morning. Instead, I decided to wear my glasses; they were black and oval shaped, with thick rims. When I was in my Shinigami form, I adjusted my vision with my reiatsu because I had enough to spare and a constant flow of it. When I was in my body, I didn't have the power to do that, so I always wore contacts or glasses.

I still rimmed my eyes in dark black eyeliner, while I used deep gray shadow to give my eyes a smoky effect; it had the desired effect, my bright icy blue eyes popped from behind my black glasses.

Studying my reflection, I nodded. I was presentable enough to go and visit a graveyard, but I wasn't too dressy. It was just right. Turning around from my reflection, I flew around my apartment packing things that I deemed necessary; extra tissues, a bento box, my sketchbook, some incense for the graves…

A soft hit to the back of my leg distracted me, getting my attention.

"Huh?" I asked, turning around to look and see what I'd run into. I saw nothing at my level, so my eyes traveled down. I found the culprit; a small stuffed panda plushie. I bent down and picked it up, smiling.

"What about me, Jun-Kun?" Paku's voice came from within the plushie, causing me to smile. Yes, after finding out that placing a Mod-Soul within an inanimate object would work, I decided to give it a try to my gikongan; it was a success. Paku was able to walk and talk just like Kon.

"I'm sorry, I keep forgetting that you're mobile now." I said, lightly laughing as I hugged the cute little plush. I had asked Ururu if she had any spare stuffed animals, and she gave me this. Of course, I didn't complain. Pandas were my favorite animals.

"Don't worry..! I'm sure it is much harder for you to remember me now! You even had trouble when I was in pill form..! However, I am so thankful that you gave me a cute plush body!" Paku exclaimed, hugging me back.

Paku was the sweetest gikongan ever.

I opened up my bag, seeing if there was enough room in there for her. I nodded, turning it towards the plushie. "Jump in; I'll take you with me."

Paku jumped into the bag, snuggling into the extra jacket that I had folded in there in case I got colder. I smiled down at her, before double checking to make sure that I had everything.

"Well, let's go..!"

• • •

[Ichigo's Point of View..!]

"Yuzu..! Karin..! Hurry up so we can go!" Dad yelled up the stairs, urging us to hurry up. I could faintly hear Yuzu and Karin scrambling to get ready.

Today was the anniversary of my Mom's death.

Because it was tradition, we were all skipping school today to visit her grave.

"We're coming!" Yuzu yelled, as her and Karin began to run down the stairs. Not too long after that, they came into the kitchen which is where everyone was supposed to gather.

"Everyone ready?" Dad asked, looking around to make sure that everyone was packed and ready to go. Nodding, he reached down and picked up his bag, which contained everyone's lunch.

"Yep, everything's set..!" Yuzu chirped, placing her purse over her shoulder like a messenger bag. Karin nodded as well, readjusting her cap on her head.

"Okay, then! Family, march~!" Dad commanded, wildly gesturing towards the front door. Great, that's just what I needed: Dad to act all hyper today. I really didn't want to have to deal with it.

After we were all gathered out front, Dad locked the door to the clinic. He made sure that sign he left was visible.

Sorry, We're Closed.

We Apologize for Any Loss of Life

At Our Absence..!

I sighed, shaking my head. How could he get around by posting a sign like that? That just didn't seem like something to post on a professional small clinic…

"Hey, who's that?" Karin asked, catching everyone's attention. "They look like they're skipping school, too."

"I dunno. They don't look any older than a high school student, though." Dad answered, catching my attention.

High school student?

Someone who was close by enough to get noticed by Karin?

Oh, god. Was it Rukia or Jun..?!

I turned my gaze in the direction that Karin had mentioned, and spotted the back of a familiar head. After all, not that many people had multicolored red and black dyed hair. She was just walking out of her apartment complex, messing around with something in her bag.

"Jun..?" I asked, trying to catch her attention before my family could do anything _too_ embarrassing.

"Kurosaki?" She asked, her eyes widening behind a pair of thick black glasses.

She looked great, I reluctantly had to admit. I never knew that she wore glasses, so that was something new. It was also new for her to dress up; whenever I was around her, she usually just dressed in casual street clothes. So, her in a short dress was a bit of a shocker for me. However, it all looked so thick and heavy; definitely not proper summer clothes.

"Wait, you mean you know Ichi-Nii?" Karin asked, her eyes scanning over Jun with a calculating look. Her eyes flickered between us, before finally scanning over Jun once more. I felt my eye begin to twitch; knowing Karin, she'd probably speak way too bluntly and embarrass me.

"Yeah, I do." Jun answered, nodding her head and slightly smiling. "We're in the same classes at school. I just wasn't expecting to see him out here."

"We're going to visit a grave today." Yuzu explained, taking a liking once she heard that we were friends. Jun was a girl, but not just any girl, a girl that I was friends with. I could see where this was about to head. "What about you? Why are you skipping school?"

"Well, I wasn't feeling too good this morning. I think I caught a cold or something. I didn't want to be cooped up in my apartment, so I decided that I was going to go out and visit my parent's graves. It's been a long time since I had the opportunity to do so, so I thought that now would be a great time." Jun explained, her words sounding heavy to my ears.

Both of her parents were dead.

That would explain why she lives alone. That also explains why she was able to train as a Shinigami at such a young age and go to the Soul Society. She had little attachment to the Living World.

"Hm, are you sure that you're friends with Ichi-Nii? I'm surprised that he knows someone like you." Karin spoke up, raising her eyebrows in skepticism.

"Is it really that shocking..?" Jun asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion as she blinked.

"I never knew that Ichi-Nii was friends with such a pretty girl. He usually only talks about his guy friends at home. I was beginning to worry about him." Karin explained, lightly shrugging her small shoulders.

Jun began to laugh as I felt my eyes bug out and my cheeks heat up.

"Shut up, Karin!" I snapped, narrowing my eyes towards my little sister, which only managed to make Jun laugh even harder. Then she…squeaked?

"Are you…squeaking?" I asked, looking at Jun strangely.

"I c-can't h-help it!" She spoke though her mixture of laughs and squeaks, trying to breathe normally. "I-It happens e-e-e-every t-time I l-laugh t-t-too hard..!"

Damn. That was such a cute laugh.

"So, are you going to be heading our way?" Dad asked, jumping into the conversation for the first time.

"Yes, I think so." She answered, lightly wiping away the tears that had accumulated at the corners of her eyes.

"Then, why don't you walk with us?" Yuzu asked, happily skipping over to Jun and linking arms with her. She stared up at her with a genuine smile.

"I wouldn't want to impose." Jun replied, gently smiling down at Yuzu. "This seems like such a nice little family outing. I wouldn't want to disrupt it."

"Nonsense..!" Dad exclaimed, getting into his regular disruptive personality. "You're a friend of Ichigo's, so you're welcome to come with us!"

"Do you even know the way to the gravesite?" I asked, catching everyone's attention.

"Um, not really…" Jun trailed off, lightly blushing from embarrassment. "I don't remember how to get there, but I do remember where their graves should be. I figured that I'd eventually find my way there."

"How do you not know how to get there? If your parent's are buried here, aren't you from here as well?" Karin asked.

"After their death, I got moved around a bunch. I even went overseas for a few years. I haven't been in Karakura since their death over ten years ago. I was only four when they died, so I don't really remember my way around town. But, so far, I've been able to find my way everywhere. Even if it does take a while." Jun explained, managing to actually sound convincing. I'm pretty sure my family believes that she was a normal teenager and not a Shinigami. She was a pretty smooth talker…

"Well, we have to go up this really big hill." Yuzu announced, pointing with her free arm towards the hill. She was still attached to Jun like glue. "It leads the way to the cemetery."

"Ehehe," Jun sheepishly chuckled. "I can honestly say that I wouldn't have taken the hill first."

• • •

[Back to Jun's Point of View..!]

Kurosaki's family was really nice… and hilarious, too!

Karin was a bit like me, if I was able to sum up her personality correctly. She seems like the sarcastic type, with a strange sense of humor. Just like me.

Yuzu was too cute, clinging to my arm like she did. Normally, I'm not good around younger people, so it was a surprise when I hit it off with her. I get the feeling that she doesn't get to spend time around that many older girls, which is why she clung to me.

Kurosaki's Dad, Isshin, was a crazy guy. He would spontaneously yell and act crazy. But, he was able to hold his family together after his wife's death, so he had to have been a great Dad.

"Huh, there's someone there..?" Yuzu questioned, squinting into the distance.

There was another person there, so I guessed that it was unusual for them to meet other people during their trek to the graveyard. I bet they're usually alone, year after year, on this day.

"You're right." Karin answered, squinting her eyes as well.

"Is that person visiting a grave, too?" Yuzu asked, clutching my hand a little bit tighter.

"I'm not sure, but look..! They're turning this way." I told them, not even having to squint. I had great vision with my glasses.

My jaw dropped as the figure turned around, waving and grinning at us like an idiot. It was Rukia..! Dressed in a sun-dress and a straw hat, she looked like she was going out to a picnic instead of visiting a grave, if that's what her story was supposed to be.

"They're waving. Do you guys know her?" Yuzu asked, looking up at her bother before turning her gaze to me.

I exhaled, closing my eyes. "Yes, I know her. I met her when I moved around and went overseas not too long ago. We transferred back here together."

"Jun..!" Rukia called out, feigning surprise.

"Hello, Rukia. I wasn't expecting to see you here." I said, lightly waving with my free hand.

"E-Excuse us..!" Kurosaki exclaimed, grabbing my small hand within his big one, dragging me away. Yuzu was forced to let go of my arm, pouting. "We're going to have a little talk!"

I was drug away from Kurosaki's family, towards Rukia. Once he approached Rukia he grabbed her wrist, dragging her along as well. I blinked, feeling like a rag doll being drug around like this.

Once we seemed to be a safe distance away, hidden in from view in the forest, Kurosaki finally slowed down and decided to hound us.

"Why did you follow me?!" He exclaimed, pointing at Rukia who looked highly offended.

"Fool," She replied, crossing her arms. "What would you do if a Hollow attacks and I'm not nearby? Granted, I didn't know that Jun would be tagging along with you, or I wouldn't have bothered in the first place."

"Hey, I didn't know any of this was happening. I wasn't feeling well so I decided to skip school. I realized that it's been forever since I visited my parent's graves, so I thought I'd go and do that. Then I ran into his family and they suggested that I tag along." I explained, crossing my arms over my chest and staring at Rukia from over the rim of my glasses. Was it just me, or did she seem kind of angry..?

Kurosaki turned to Rukia again, "At least her story was passable! You! If you were going to follow, then you should have been more covert!"

"Sorry about that; I wasn't aware." Rukia replied, her tone somewhat icy as her glare hardened.

"What…are you so angry about?" Kurosaki questioned, surprised by Rukia's sudden shift in personality.

"Nothing," She replied, offhandedly. "I'm not angry."

I couldn't believe her with that tone of voice.

It was quiet as the wind began to blow, and Rukia decided to speak up. "Killed. That's what you told me. Your Mother…"

"…I didn't say that…" Kurosaki muttered, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets.

What, where they talking about the day his Mom died? That's probably it; the atmosphere was so tense all of a sudden.

"Who killed her?" Rukia asked, pressing the issue further.

Apparently Rukia didn't know when to drop a subject. It was so clear, as plain as day, that Kurosaki didn't want to talk about this. Even I wouldn't want to talk to Rukia about my past if she was going to be this stern about it.

"I didn't say that," Kurosaki tensely said. "Forget it."

"You told me that you could see ghosts for as long as you could remember. If that's so, answer just one question for me." Rukia spoke, looking down at the ground because Kurosaki wouldn't meet her gaze. "Wasn't the thing that killed your Mother…a Hollow?"

Kurosaki's face was wiped clean of emotion.

I exhaled a breath that I wasn't aware that I had been holding in; I had thought that Kurosaki would blow up after she asked that question. Stupid Rukia, you don't be that insensitive by associating his Mom's name with Hollows…

However, his silence seemed to be worse than if he had shouted.

"It's possible!" Rukia defended herself. "You've seen spirits for as long as you could remember, so if your reiatsu was that high, Hollows could have targeted you…and mistaken your Mother for…"

Rukia froze at the sight of Kurosaki's scowl deepening.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He bellowed, causing Rukia and I to jump in surprise. He slouched over, somewhat hiding his face. "This isn't a joke. When it comes to you, anything and everything becomes the handiwork of Hollows. It was already something serious… You don't need…to find reasons like that!" His hands in his pockets balled into fists. "It wasn't a Hollow! Sorry, but you guessed wrong…"

Kurosaki froze, his cinnamon colored eyes widening in surprise.

"Kurosaki..?" I asked in a hesitant voice, lightly extending my hand towards him, my eyes darkening in concern.

"It… It can't be… Why here..?" Kurosaki murmured, considerably paling.

"Ichigo, what's wrong?" Rukia asked, looking concerned for the strawberry as well.

In a flash, the strawberry turned around and took off running.

"Kurosaki..!" I yelled, watching as he ran. The direction that he was going… it was opposite to the direction of the thing that had spooked him earlier. I turned my head, looking to see if I could see whatever he had seen.

There was nothing there. I narrowed my eyes, looking closer. However, just because it wasn't there now didn't mean that it wasn't there earlier.

"Come on, let's follow him." Rukia instructed, and I nodded in understanding. But, I made a mental note of where we were now. As we ran after Kurosaki, I tagged a tree with a taste of my reiatsu; just enough so that I would be able to find my way back here. I would find whatever it was that scared him so bad.

It only took a minute or two of heavy running to catch up with Kurosaki. Rukia reached forward and grabbed onto his shirt, making him fall to the ground in a heap. He collapsed onto his hands and knees, breathing heavily.

"W-Why did you run?" I asked, wheezing a little bit. It wasn't easy to run when you were congested and had a cold. I hunched over, placing my hands on my knees as I took in gulps of fresh air.

"…It was not!" He murmured, still looking at the ground. "It was not a Hollow or anything! The one who killed Mom… Was me..!"

My eyes widened at his confession.

How did he think that he was responsible for her death..?

Tatsuki couldn't have left something that major out of the story…

I shook my head, bending down so that I was level with him. Gently, I placed my small hands on his broad shoulders, causing him to look up at me with agonized eyes. It literally tore my heart apart. "You can't be serious… Come on, let's get you back to your family so you can visit your Mom's grave. I'm sure they're wondering where we ran off to."

• • •

 _Hello..?_

 _Kaa-San, Tou-San… It's been a while. It's me, Jun._

I prayed, as I knelt in front of their joint graves. My eyes ran over their names carved into the marble headstone, resting on the now burning incense, before sliding shut once more.

 _It's been a long time, and I'm really sorry for that. It's just… I've been really busy lately. I-I have become a Shinigami, if you guys didn't already know. There were a few complications, but nothing that a few good years of training couldn't fix. I'm doing fine here; I just hope that you two are happy and together wherever you are. I know I'm probably not what you expected out of a daughter, involved in all of these dangerous messes, but I promise that I'll try my hardest to stay safe. After all, you both died protecting me. After your deaths, I promised that I would protect those close to me. I don't intend to go back on my words, because that's how you two raised me._

I felt another's presence, so I quickly finished up my prayer.

 _I'll try and visit you two soon, but I don't know how long I'll be able to stay here. I hope it's a while, because I'm growing quite attached to this town. Every day, I find myself wondering how different my life would have been if that Hollow didn't attack that day. But, I don't take your sacrifices for granted. Thank you, for everything. Keep on watching after me, I want to make you both proud._

"You can go ahead and come out now." I spoke, my voice loud as it echoed off all of the other surrounding tombstones. "I know that you're there."

I stood up from my kneeling position in front of my parent's graves, watching as a familiar head of bright orange hair appeared.

"Have you finished praying as well?" I asked, sadly smiling.

"I guess," The strawberry responded, shoving his hands in his pockets once more.

I softly sighed, hoping that he didn't hear it.

I knew of a way to make him feel better, but it was going to be painful to myself. However, my heart just wouldn't stop wrenching whenever I saw that depressed face. It just wasn't natural; I found myself missing that usual scowl and furrowed eyebrows.

"It was a beautiful day, that one." I spoke, contemplating on the right words to choose. "I was off visiting my Grandfather for the first time a majority of that day. So, it was late when I got home. Even though I was young, I could still see ghosts so clearly that I wasn't able to determine the living from the departed. I could also see Hollows, too. They haunted my nightmares almost every night… Tou-San was a Shinigami. I wasn't aware of that fact until I became a Shinigami, and found out what the significance of the black kimono and sword meant. Tou-San… He promised that he'd protect me from the 'monsters' that I would see. I believed his words with all of my heart." I explained, placing my hands over my heart and dropping my gaze back to the tombstone as I continued.

"I still had trouble sleeping at nights because I always felt uneasy; that night was no different. The spiritual pressure in the air was unbearable, pressing down so much that I had trouble breathing… I ran to my parent's room, only to find them both gone. They were outside fighting off the Hollow. It went from a beautiful day to a stormy night; it was so dark it was hard to see. I ran outside to find Tou-San in his Shinigami attire, fighting off the Hollow. Kaa-San was there, too, and she was already injured. I saw the Hollow attack them in front of my own eyes. It went after Tou-San first, then Kaa-San. Then, it came for me… But, Tou-San had enough reiatsu left to kill it. Although, that last attack used up all of his reiatsu and killed him. He fulfilled his promise to me, so… I'll fulfill my promise to them." I blubbered, hanging my head and wiping my tears away. It didn't feel right to break down in front of anyone. "I promised that I'd protect those precious to me with all of my heart, even if I have to risk my life in the process too."

I bravely looked up, meeting Ichigo's warm cinnamon eyes. They were soft for once, not hardened into a scowl.

"Why… Why did you tell me that?" Ichigo questioned, his stare so intense that I found myself looking away as my cheeks heated up.

"Because… I trust you." I said, not daring to meet his eyes now. "I needed to get it off of my chest, anyways. Not even Rukia knows about my past."

It was silent for a few moments, before Ichigo placed a hand on my shoulder. "Okay, follow me."

Curious, I decided to follow him. We walked side by side for once, not one slightly in front of the other; we were finally equal in each other's eyes. We walked for quite a bit in silence, making me wonder if he had an actual destination in mind or not. That was, until he stopped and looked at the grave in front of him.

Kurosaki Masaki

It clicked in my brain that this was his Mother's grave; that's where he was leading me. His family must have already been here and prayed and they had probably gone off to eat or do other traditional activities, based on who knows what.

"I can remember that day like it was yesterday…" Ichigo spoke, closing his eyes, not being able to speak and view the grave at once. "It was raining that day, just like the days before that, too. Kaa-San was walking me home from the dojo that day. Since it had rained for more than three days in a row, the rivers were flooded. On my way home, I remember seeing a girl by the bridge, overlooking the river. It looked like she was fixing to jump in." He explained, tightening his hands into closed fists. "I ran over to her to try and help her. Then I remember my name being called, then blacking out. When I woke up, Kaa-San was lying on top of me; dead. I don't know what happened. Maybe… she got cut somewhere, or hit somewhere. But… It was clear that she did it to save me. After that, the girl disappeared." His tone had grown harsh when speaking about the girl, but then it mellowed out once more. "We all loved Kaa-San. She filled up the center that our family revolved around. From that center, I stole Kaa-San from them!"

Ichigo clenched his eyes shut, totally blaming himself for the situation.

Well, that was his view on the situation. Tatsuki's story had left quite a few gaps, but that was only to be expected; she wasn't there, so she didn't experience it first-hand. And I doubt that Ichigo had told everyone his side of the story.

However, from his story… It did kind of sound like a Hollow attack. Maybe Rukia deserved more credit than I gave her.

"I'm sorry; I never knew." I softly spoke, grabbing on my arm to hold myself back. I wanted to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, but I didn't know how well he'd take it. "I didn't mean to force that out of you. I was a bit curious, but I didn't want you to say anything until you were ready."

"You told me your story. I knew that must have been hard. You trusted me enough to tell me about it, so I figured that I'd return the favor." He explained, slowing piecing himself back together again.

"Thanks." I whispered, serenely smiling.

A horrible screeching noise filled the air, causing me to wince and plug my ears. Strawberry had done the same, wincing as well.

"That's got to be Tou-San…" Ichigo muttered darkly.

"You can go on. I'll go see if I can find Rukia around here. I'll see you later!" I said, waving to him as I urged him to go on. I waited until he was out of sight before I kneeled in front of his Mom's tombstone to pray.

 _Kurosaki-San, you might not know me, but I'm one of Ichigo's friends. Well, I wouldn't consider myself to be too close to him; I only got past just calling him by his last name today. I haven't even called him by his name to his face yet… But, I wanted to tell you that you've got a great son. He's grown up more than you could possibly imagine. He has so much responsibility on his shoulders now, and I'm partly to blame for that. I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for getting your son dragged into all of this. I wish that I could have met you; everyone speaks so highly of you. I hope I'll be able to speak to you again someday. So, take care until then._

I smiled, standing up. I had always found that praying made me feel better, closer connected to the dead.

I stretched, feeling a little tired. Maybe that meant that I'd actually get a good night's rest for once..? I could only hope.

Making my way towards where I sensed Rukia's faint reiatsu, I froze mid-step.

That spiritual pressure…

It was way too high for any normal Hollow..!

Just what in the world did it belong to?


	19. Chapter Eighteen

• • •

That's..! That's the presence of a Hollow!

But, it wasn't just any Hollow. No, this reiatsu had to belong to an entirely different Hollow than what had previously showed up in Karakura Town. I grit my teeth as I took off in the correct direction, fishing my cell phone from my bag.

However, there were no alerts from the Soul Society issuing a Hollow attack. Nothing even showed up on the radar..!

 **Beep. Beep. Beep.**

Oh, so now the order comes? Typical Soul Society, always running behind.

I wasn't running for long, before I saw Rukia.

"So, you felt it too?" Rukia asked, her eyes unblinking.

"Yeah," I nodded, before lightly growling. "But the stupid order was late!"

We approached a crossroads and Ichigo appeared. Apparently even he had felt the dense spiritual pressure, even though he sucked at stuff like that.

"Hey," He greeted, meeting our gazes. "So, you two both being here means that this is the right direction, right?"

"Of course..!" I answered, smirking.

"We can't be making errors like that!" Rukia summed up, smiling.

Ichigo's deep cinnamon eyes connected with mine, seeming to try and tell me something. I could only guess, but I think he didn't want me mentioning to Rukia that I knew anything. I slightly nodded; I could feel my icy blue eyes smolder the message back. Rukia watched our exchange, eyebrows raised high.

"You're not…going to ask anything?" Ichigo asked before she could get her chance to question us about what had just happened.

"If I ask, will you answer?" Rukia questioned, before slightly shaking her head. Her eyes saw the hesitation in Ichigo's brown orbs, before darting towards my guarded bright blue eyes. She could see the walls that I had continuously built up throughout the years. Her eyes snapped back to Ichigo, as she shook her head once more. "It's your problem; a deep, deep problem. I have no right to know. I don't have a method of stepping into the depths of your heart without it getting dirty. So, I'll wait. When you want to talk, when you think that it's okay to talk…then you can tell me." Violet orbs darted towards me once more. "That goes for both of you. Until that time comes, I'll wait."

"Yeah," Ichigo said, as I nodded agreement with a slight smile.

"Yeah?! You've gotta be kidding me!" Kon's voice rang out from seemingly out of nowhere, causing Ichigo and I to jump. "What do you mean, 'Yeah'? Stop acting so cool! I can't keep up with you guys!"

Kon popped out of Rukia's backpack, unzipping it from the outside and pulling himself up so he could get some fresh air.

"K-Kon! What, you came along?!" Ichigo asked, surprised as he picked up his running so that he was next to her backpack and talking to the plushie lion.

"Of course! I'm Rukia-Onee-Chan's number one disciple! We have a much higher level of closeness, Ichigo-Chaaan! " Kon yelled out, "Besides..! I thought that I'd get to see Jun-Kun again, too! Juuuuun-Kuuuuun~!"

Kon made a move like he was going to jump out at me, so Ichigo quickly diverted his path so that his body blocked mine from view as he glared at the plush. I giggled; Kon was growing on me… Even if he still was as perverted as he was when I first met him. Besides, he provided a nice touch of comic relief; things never seemed as tense when he was around, which was amazing for stress levels.

"When did you become a disciple?" Ichigo asked, trying to distract Kon from the fact that I was there.

"What are you saying?!" Kon asked, acting surprised. "Since that day Onee-Chan saved my life. My soul is devoted to her!" Kon turned around in the backpack so that his face was right beside Rukia's. "Right, Onee-Chan? "

"Don't ask me." Rukia bluntly replied, still running as fast as she could.

"Onee-Chan..!" Kon wailed, mock tears falling from his eyes as his clawed hands rose to his face. "How cold..!"

"Oh, really?" Ichigo asked, before darting to the side so that I was back in Kon's view. Kon eye's instantly snapped onto me, before observing my attire and screeching my name. He made wild grabbing motions and even his plushie face seemed to blush. Ichigo scoffed, rolling his eyes before grabbing my arm and forcing me behind him and away from the plushie once more. "You 'devoted your soul'? Yeah right."

Ichigo quickened his pace, literally dragging me along with him. Kon screamed out profanity, causing me to chuckle.

"Both of you be quiet." Rukia commanded, having enough of the quarreling between the strawberry and plushie.

I gasped, feeling the reiatsu seem to thicken.

"It's close..!" Ichigo muttered, his eyes widened and narrowed as he concentrated on the reiatsu.

• • •

"I'll eat you first!" The spirit of a small girl roared. She was standing next to a gigantic Hollow, which looked related to a hamster. Its mask was pure white, save for the tomoe looking markings decorating it.

Ichigo's youngest sister, Yuzu, was suspended in air. A thick rivulet of fur formed a tentacle which constricted around her neck, literally choking her. Ichigo ran forward, withdrawing his large Zanpakuto to slice through the thick rope of fur.

As he sliced at the Hollow, I used my flash step and managed to catch Yuzu before she hit the ground. Ichigo's eyes met mine for a split second, resting on his younger sister in my arms. Darting forward, he went to rescue Karin.

The Hollow's claw was pinning her down, holding her to the ground. Before the Hollow could realize, its claw was chopped off and Karin was free. Before its claw hit the ground, Ichigo had moved to my side with her in his arms.

"Shinigami..!"

"W-What's going on here..?" Ichigo questioned, getting a good look at the Hollow and the spirit that accompanied it. "You…You were the one at the river's edge that time..! Six years ago..! Why are you here?! How come…you're with a Hollow..?!"

"Six years ago..? I don't remember that far back…" The spirit of the girl spoke, dangerously narrowing her eyes. "I see… So, you've seen me before."

"That's right!" Ichigo exclaimed, pointing at the girl. "What the heck are you?! A Hollow's crony?! Or are you controlled by that Hollow?! Say something!"

"Both are wrong, boy."

Ichigo froze, eyes widening.

I narrowed my eyes at the Hollow; it was obvious from Ichigo's reaction that he'd seen it before. This wouldn't be good.

"Jun," Ichigo whispered, brown meeting ice blue. "Take Yuzu and Karin and get them some place safe."

I nodded, readjusting Yuzu so that she was on my back. Ichigo placed Karin in my arms; a worried look appeared in his eyes.

"Don't worry. I'll check to make sure they're fine. They just look unconscious now, so it's nothing serious." I said, hoping to reassure Ichigo as I looked at his two unconscious sisters weighing me down.

"Yeah," He nodded, eyes sat on the Hollow.

"I'll be back soon." I whispered, flash stepping out of the area.

I was running for a couple of minutes, trying to put some distance between the Hollow and the Kurosaki twins. However, I soon saw Rukia. She was carrying Ichigo's unconscious body; it would have been quite a comical sight, if the situation wasn't as serious as it was.

"Where's Ichigo?" Rukia questioned, looking at the two twins weighing me down and seeing no strawberry near me.

"He's back there with the Hollow. I have to find a safe place to keep Yuzu and Karin so he won't be distracted during the fight." I explained.

"That doesn't matter right now. First, we have to get to Ichigo..!" Rukia said, her violet eyes flaming.

I nodded, not sure what else to do.

I followed Rukia; however, I hid Yuzu and Karin behind a rather large boulder in case Ichigo asked if they were hidden.

My eyes scanned the area, looking to see if anything else had happened in my quick leave of absence. Hearing Rukia's gasp, my eyes trailed over in the direction she was looking at. I gasped as well.

The spirit of the girl with the Hollow… It had peeled away, almost like someone was peeling a banana. Its thin layer of flesh was ripped all the way down the center, as the center was left intact; however, it wasn't a full skeleton. It looked too much like a bug's exoskeleton…

"Wha-What is that?!" Ichigo asked, shocked.

"Now that you've seen me like this… I can't let you go without eating your soul." The Hollow spoke, as the lure attached to his head.

"…What's going on?" Ichigo asked, "That kid before…is a part of you?!"

"Grand Fisher." Rukia called out from our places off to the side. We walked closer to him, looking at the screen of our phones.

Ichigo still looked confused, so I decided to further clarify the situation. "That's his code name." I looked down at my phone, scrolling through his history as it appeared as a text message. "He hides his body, while his neck protrudes a lure that takes on a human shape. Humans that can see that… You can probably figure it out; he attacks and devours humans who have a high reiatsu."

Rukia nodded, seeing the freaked out look on Ichigo's face. She was printing off a copy of the record, and tore it from the top of her phone. Well, I guess older styled phones had perks, then. Mine couldn't do that.

"By doing so, he increases his own strength." Rukia continued, "For fifty-four long years, he has continued to elude us Shinigami. That's him. He's highly infamous. Look, his name is so well known that the Soul Society's database has an extensive record on him."

"As you say, brat." The Hollow sneered. Ichigo crumpled up the report that Rukia printed off, turning to look at the Hollow once more. "Anyway, there are so many who can see my form. What a catch. Hehe! I'm happy. So happy. One, two, three, four… Oh, man… I wonder if all of you will fit in my stomach. Hehe! Hehe!"

As the Hollow maniacally chuckled, Ichigo's grip on his Zanpakuto tightened; I could see his knuckles turning white. Before I could blink, Ichigo was soaring through the air with his Zanpakuto targeted on the Hollow, Grand Fisher..!

"Ichigo?!" Rukia yelled, "Fool!"

However, his Zanpakuto collided with the ground; cracking it. Grand Fisher had jumped into the air to evade his blade.

"This is careless, you moron!" Rukia exclaimed, as Ichigo got ready for another attack.

"You can't do this without a plan..!" I screeched, eyes wide. I shook my head in disbelief, so shocked my next words came out in a murmur. "Even a Taicho would have trouble with Grand Fisher… That's how deadly it is…"

"Hehe! Inexperienced boy!" Grand Fisher screeched, laughing. Its fur began to twist and curl, reforming the arm that Ichigo had previously cut off..! Ichigo barely managed to bring up his Zanpakuto in time to block it, but was sent back towards the Earth from the strength of the blow and gravity catching up to him.

Grand Fisher's fur then seemed to take on a life of its own; it seemed to explode outward, rushing towards Ichigo..!

Ichigo became tangled in the fur, not able to escape.

"Ichigo!" Rukia yelled, terrified.

I withdrew Ankoku-Tatsu, focusing on my spiritual pressure. I had to get it up enough to go into Shikai mode… That would be our only hope. It had already begun to fade to black with my dark reiatsu swirling around.

"Stop, Jun!" Ichigo yelled, swinging down his Zanpakuto and cutting the fur clean in half. He then disentangled himself from it. I ran to his side to help free him.

"Jun! Stay back this time; I'll do this alone..!" Ichigo ordered, grabbing fistfuls of the fur off of him. "Take Rukia with you. All of you go with Kon and look after Karin and Yuzu."

"Don't talk nonsense! He's strong! Rukia told you! For over fifty years, he's eluded—"

"Shut up!" Ichigo cut me off, gaining my attention. "…Please, don't interfere… This is my fight…"

"Fine..!" I huffed, before biting my lip. "Just… Just don't die!"

I turned and ran towards Rukia, grabbing her hand in mine and pulled her along with me. She wouldn't be happy about this, but this is what we had to do. I had to let Ichigo fight this Hollow himself…

"Jun! What are you doing?!" Rukia exclaimed, trying to pry herself from my grip. It was pointless though; I was much stronger than she was. "Get back there and help Ichigo!"

"I can't!" I solemnly said, shaking my head before letting it hang. My bangs covered my eyes, giving me a closed off look. "This is his fight."

"You don't understand! Grand Fisher is-"

"I know. He knows. However, this is a battle of pride." I explained, still not looking at Rukia as I bent down to retrieve Ichigo's sisters. "I would help if I could. It's just… I can't. He doesn't want any help."

Rukia nodded, seeming to understand. She knelt down to Ichigo's discarded body, slinging it over her shoulder once more.

• • •

"Hell no!" Kon screeched, jerking and screaming.

Rukia was holding Kon close to Ichigo's face. They were so close that they were almost lip locked… well, if Kon had actual lips.

"Don't make a racket, don't struggle, and don't complain!" Rukia yelled as she sat on Ichigo's chest and forced Kon closer. "I'll set you on fire!"

"No! Getting burnt is bad, but this is much worse!" Kon wailed, still trying to flap around. "Why the hell do I have to kiss him?!"

"I didn't say kiss! I said get closer!" Rukia ordered, clearly aggravated.

I shook my head, sighing. This was getting annoying fast.

"Even so, no way..!" Kon argued, as he was shoved even closer. "Aah! It stinks, it stinks, it stinks! He probably never brushes his teeth! Onee-Chan! Onee-Chaaaan~!"

With one last forceful shove, Rukia smashed their faces together. With her holding him down, she suddenly smacked the back of Kon's lion head with her red gloved hand, forcing the pill Kon from the plush body.

Ichigo's…or should I now say Kon's… eyes popped open in disgust. "Nasty! Bleah..!"

Kon crawled his way over to the nearby bushes and began to gag.

"Geez, so much noise because of literally nothing." I murmured, rubbing my temples to try and dispel the headache that I felt coming on.

"Don't whine!" Rukia snapped at Kon, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, hurry up so we can move Karin and Yuzu to a safe place." I said, standing up from my seated position underneath a large tree.

This was taking way too much time. While we sat here and killed time with Kon, Ichigo was facing Grand Fisher by himself..! I know he said that he didn't want any help, but… it's useless to try and defeat Grand Fisher by yourself. One Shinigami wouldn't be able to do the job.

Kon picked up Karin and Yuzu easily, as we made our way further into the woods.

Lucky for us, we ran into a small little lodge for the public to use when they visited the graveyard. Nobody else was there, so we got lucky again. Now, we just had to wait until the girls woke up and Ichigo came back.

I had to have faith in him. He would come back.

• • •

"Is that enough, Onee-Chan, Jun-Kun?" Kon quietly asked, as he slid the sliding door back into place. He had fulfilled his role as Ichigo; he watched over the twins until they awoke. Actually, Karin was the only one awake. She was now looking after Yuzu.

"Good work!" I exclaimed, shooting him a thumbs up.

He surprised me; he was somehow able to recreate Ichigo's scowl perfectly~!

"Phew! Keeping my eyebrows knit together all the time is exhausting~!" Kon whined, bringing his hand up to his forehead as he smoothed out the skin between the eyebrows. "How does Ichigo keep this face up all the time?!"

I slightly smiled; it was a mystery how he could keep that scowl up the whole time. His facial muscles must have adapted and automatically go into that pattern. I sighed, before taking to pacing between a couple of trees. Crossing my arms, I held myself back from running to Ichigo.

"…You're not going?" Kon asked, getting both Rukia's and my attention.

"Go where?" Rukia asked, leaning against a tree that was out of the way of my pacing as she watched my steps.

"Eh? No, I mean to save Ichigo…" Kon clarified from his sitting position on the steps of the lodge.

"He said not to interfere." I answered curtly.

"So, you're really going to leave this alone..?" Kon asked, staring deeply into my eyes with Ichigo's. I couldn't look away, so I just bit my lip. "It's a strong Hollow this time. Didn't you say that, Jun-Kun?"

"Yes; it is." I murmured, only to bite my lip again after I spoke and resumed my pacing as I tore my gaze away from Kon's.

"He's…not gonna die, right?" Kon asked, lightly scratching the back of his head.

I stopped pacing, not finding myself able to move my legs anymore. My back was facing Kon and Rukia, as I shook my head. "I-I don't know. I hope not. He better not."

"Well, can I ask a favor then?" Kon asked in such an innocent voice that my eyes snapped back over to him. "…Please go and save Ichigo."

I froze, my eyes widening in surprise.

Kon ran over to me, only to fall down to his knees in front of me and beg even more. "Please!"

"Quit…Quit it, Kon!" I exclaimed, "Men shouldn't bow so easily!"

"It's not easy!" Kon argued as he looked up at me. "For me, this is a big problem! Because, if that guy dies, I'll have to stay in this body forever. I'd have to keep living with that damn noisy family. Aww, man! I definitely couldn't take that! I'd be dead! I'd die! Definitely die!" Kon yelled, slapping his face with his hand, covering his eyes in agony. Before I could blink, he was once more on his hands and knees and begging. "For that reason, I'm begging you!"

"I…I understand! I understand, so quit it! Sheesh!" I yelled, not used to seeing Ichigo's body bow so easily. It was a bit unsettling.

"Really?! You'll go?!" Kon asked, beaming.

"Yes," I nodded, but crossed my arms and sternly glared at him. "But you'll have to stay here to protect Yuzu and Karin!"

"Of course~!" Kon exclaimed, happily standing up once more and hugging me close. My eye twitched as I shoved him away.

"I'll go, too." Rukia volunteered, catching my eye and nodding.

"Alright, well… Let's get going then!" I exclaimed, my hand going to Ankoku-Tatsu's hilt unconsciously.

"Just leave it to me!" Kon exclaimed, waving as we took off running into the forest. His fist bumped against his chest in the universal male sign that they were to be trusted.

I scoffed to myself as we ran out of sight.

I'm really an idiot.

I know that I should go, but… just what the hell do I intend to do?! Running to Ichigo like I am… What the hell am I doing?! His regret is driving him now. This is the first time since he's become a Shinigami that he's actually fighting for himself and not others. Winning the fight with my help…would he really be happy with that? No, he wouldn't be happy. This fight is for his Mother…

I stopped running as my feet curled around the edge of a hill. I had almost completely run off. I looked gown, gasping.

This was the perfect view to watch the fight.  
Ichigo stood across from the Hollow below, Zanpakuto in hand. However, he was wounded..! His chest was bleeding; he had been pierced with something.

Memories of my parents fighting against the Hollow filled my brain. They'd been pierced through their chests as well..!

I fought to hold myself back. My left hand grabbed my right arm, wrapping across my chest. "Don't interfere…" I whispered to myself. I could feel Rukia's eyes on me. "If he wins with my help he won't be happy with the outcome. There's more than that. This is a fight to protect what's important to him; his pride..!"

Rukia's eyes widened at my words; she remembered hearing them from someone else in the past. Well, something vaguely familiar.

Rukia's hand grabbed my shoulder and tossed me behind a tree so Ichigo wouldn't be able to see us if he looked up.

"Don't interfere. Don't interfere. Don't interfere." I chanted to myself, as Rukia nodded her head and looked at me with apathy. "Don't die Ichigo!"


	20. Chapter Nineteen

• • •

"What's wrong? Just by having your name called, you already can't move. Hehe." Grand Fisher's voice lofted upwards, being carried towards my ears. I shook some more, as Rukia placed her arm around me. We peered from behind the trees to watch the battle below.

"You…Do you understand what you are doing now?"

"Hm?"

"This isn't the kind of place to bring my Mother's form into!" Ichigo bellowed, reading his Zanpakuto for another attack. However, he was frozen in place when Grand Fisher moved his lure directly in front of Ichigo.

The lure took on his Mother's appearance.

I closed my eyes, tugging on my Shihakusho sleeve as I bit my lip. I couldn't bare myself to watch. What if…

No, I wouldn't doubt Ichigo.

"Don't, Ichigo! Sheath the sword! Please, don't cut Kaa-San..!" A feminine voice cried out.

Blood splattering. That's the noise that I heard.

The sickening noise of blood slapping the ground.

I couldn't open my eyes and look. I didn't want to see where the blood had come from.

"I told you: 'anger can dull the blade.' It's over boy! So, let's pay respect! Out of all of those that I've encountered you were the youngest, the most thoughtless…and! The weakest Shinigami of all! Hehe!" Grand Fisher bellowed out, cackling out in maniacal laughter.

His laughter continued for a few seconds, only to quickly cease.

"Ah?"

"I finally…caught you!" Ichigo's voice rang out. "'Anger can dull the blade,' huh? That may be so… But, y'know, Grand Fisher, you've made one mistake! To defeat a bastard like you, that dulled blade is enough! It's over, Fisher! So let's pay respect! Out of all those I've encountered you were the oldest, the filthiest, and the most irritating Hollow of all!"

A sick ripping sound filled the air, causing me to clench my eyes further shut. Please, let it be the Hollow and not Ichigo…

I guess my prayers were answered; Grand Fisher's screams filled the battlefield.

"My arm..! My arm..! My body is..!"

There was a dull thump as the Hollow's body hit the ground. My eyes flew opened when I felt the first few raindrops collide with my face, causing me to gasp.

Grand Fisher was lying on the ground. So was Ichigo's sheath, which had fallen from his back. Ichigo himself was barely standing; he was using his Zanpakuto for support.

"Ichigo!" Rukia and I simultaneously screamed as we ran from behind the tree, getting closer to him.

"Yo… You're late…" Ichigo spoke, looking like a bloody mess as he leaned against his Zanpakuto. "I've already…cleaned it all up…"

"Che, idiot." I scoffed and then smiled. "The one who said not to interfere was you."

"Oh, yeah?" Ichigo smirked, "Hehe."

My eyes widened as I felt a pinprick of reiatsu flare.

"Ichigo, behind you!" I tried to warn him, but I was too late.

Ichigo managed to dodge the oncoming attack, but just barely. He had a deep gash under his eye that began to profusely bleed. I watched in horror as Grand Fisher was brought to his feet by the lure, then was reeled in towards it. Before our very eyes, Grand Fisher was sucked into the lure..!

"Hehe," The lure laughed; its appearance was different. This must have been when Ichigo's Mother looked like..! "Boy… You asked me when you first saw my form… Is this 'lure' a 'part' of me? In other words, you asked 'Are you the real body?' I'll answer that question… The answer is no! Both are the real body!" The lure started to lose some of its normal human characteristics. The poncho that it wore seemed to look more like the fur of Grand Fisher and its arms and legs transformed into his clawed feet. "If one part is injured, then I just jump to the other! And with me now in this body… There's no way you can cut me!"

"You..!" Ichigo seethed, pulling himself up to proper height. However, this caused his wounds to open more and more blood rushed out.

"Ichigo, stop!" I ordered, eyes wide. Was he really going to go after Grand Fisher in that state?

"She's right; this is too reckless!" Rukia added, also trying to get him to stop.

"Hehe! That's right, stop it!" Grand Fisher chuckled evilly. "A beast with developed vision is always controlled by that vision! Yes, even though you know who I am on the inside, you can't cut me while I'm in your Mother's form! And!" Grand Fisher jumped up into the air, "Even if you cut me, you can't follow me in that state!"

"Wait!" Ichigo yelled, looking up in the sky.

"Ichigo!" Rukia exclaimed, tightly clutching onto the front of his Shihakusho, "Enough already! Stop already!"

"Rukia's right!" I nodded, catching Ichigo's eyes. "You can't fight him anymore! This fight is over!"

"Not yet!" Ichigo yelled, looking directly into my eyes before scanning the sky once more. "He's still not dead..! I can still fight..! Still..!"

"Ichigo!" I yelled, watching as his eyes dulled and his body grew limp. He began to fall, and I ran over to Rukia to help her steady him. We both eased him down to the ground so we could get a better assessment of his injuries.

"His wounds are so…bad…" I murmured, as my eyes scanned over all of the blood that was pooling around him.

"A Shinigami's life force is their amount of reiatsu. To have not died from these wounds yet… This idiot's strength is really quite something."

"For being able to survive… Thank you, Ichigo." I murmured, feeling the tears finally welling up in my eyes and overflowing. I was thankful for the rain; it hid my tears. Although, I had the feeling that Rukia knew they were there. I was grateful she didn't say anything.

"Onee-Chan… Jun-Kun…" Kon called out, catching our attention. So he had followed us here as well.

"Rukia, Kon," I called out to get their attention. I felt both of their eyes shift to me as I stood up. "Make sure to keep this a secret. I haven't told anyone, absolutely no other soul, about this ability of my Zanpakuto. It takes a lot of my reiatsu because I haven't fully mastered it, but… Make sure that I get it right."

I smoothly withdrew Ankoku-Tatsu from her sheath, watching as the rain drops slid down the sleek metal.

"Sorera no ue ni kagekyasuto, Ankoku-Tatsu!" I called out, releasing my Zanpakuto into its Shikai state. [Cast your shadow over them, Ankoku-Tatsu!]

Kon watched with an amazed look as surrounding shadows flocked to my Zanpakuto and covered the silver of the blade until it was a midnight black. Ankoku-Tatsu's golden hilt glowed in the dim light before fading to a deep crimson color. At the hilt, a long and tattered red ribbon began to form.

I took a deep breath, "Iyasu Tatsu!" [Dragon Healing]

I channeled my reiatsu into Ankoku-Tatsu, and the blade seemed to glow an eerie black color. However, my eyes brightened due to my resolve; they began to glow a fiery white color. Ichigo's body also seemed to faintly glow white.

Before everyone's eyes, the major wounds on Ichigo's body began to stich themselves back together, from the inside out. I was mainly focusing on the major wound in his stomach; that would be fatal if he went back into his body before it was healed. His minor injuries could wait.

I bit my lip as I felt my reiatsu level decrease. I just had to hold on for a bit longer… I could already see some of the color come back to Ichigo's face!

"Kaijo!" [Release!] I yelled, as a blindingly white flash of light illuminated the area. Everyone had to cover their eyes from the sight. When they opened their eyes again, the shadows were slowly creeping away from my Zanpakuto. I sheathed Ankoku-Tatsu, feeling a bit light headed from using so much of my reiatsu.

Before I knew it, I could feel my knees hit the ground, and I caught myself with my hands. The world swam for a moment, before I blinked it all away. Rukia and Kon ran over to my side, helping me sit up.

"Are you alright?" Rukia asked, eyes wide at my display of power. "I could sense the vastness of that spiritual pressure… You used a lot of it for that technique!"

"I'm fine." I said, weakly panting a bit. "That technique just takes a lot out of me. It's Ankoku-Tatsu's ability to use herself… Whenever I try to use it, it always takes so much reiatsu…"

"That was amazing! How did you do that?!" Kon asked, eyes wide as his hands were still on my shoulders, steadying me.

"As I said, it's one of my Zanpakuto's abilities. It's called Iyasu Tatsu, otherwise known as Dragon Healing. It's a special accelerated healing that most dragons use." I explained, looking at Kon with a smile. "But, it's really hard to train with it anyways, because I'm never surrounded with injured people. And people are very different from dragons."

It was quiet for a few minutes, as I tried to get what little reiatsu I had left under my control. Then, we could hear Ichigo coming to and regaining consciousness.

"Are you alright?!" We all asked, as we gathered around him. Kon had helped me crawl over to him, supporting my weight. Ichigo blinked at us, before slowly sitting up.

"Y-Yeah," Ichigo stuttered, his hands ghosted over his chest. He couldn't feel his injuries at all! "I do feel a lot better."

"Good. Then get back in your body so we can go. It is still raining." I said, smirking a bit.

Ichigo numbly nodded, not seeming to mind my blunt language for once. Standing up, Ichigo walked to my side because Kon was still supporting my weight. He glared at the Mod-Soul, before slapping his hands off of me before he entered his body.

I rolled my eyes and shakily stood up, leaning against a nearby tree as he rejoined with his body.

"It..! Hurts!" Ichigo screamed as he shot straight up, the cuts reopening on his face once he entered his human body.

"Don't make a big fuss." Rukia ordered as she grabbed Kon's pill form and stuffed it back in the lion plushie. "Wounds received in your soul state will show up when you return to your body! You ought to know that already!"

"But up 'til now, you returned me to my body after healing all of my wounds…" Ichigo winced, bringing his hand up to touch the cut spreading across his cheek.

"You should be grateful to Jun-Kun for healing you!" Kon shouted, getting up in Ichigo's face. "Your wounds were so bad that Rukia-Onee-Chan couldn't heal them, so Jun-Kun used up almost all of her energy healing your stupid wounds! Jun-Kun probably can't even move without wobbling!"

"Kon!" I shriek, glaring at the plushie. So much for that being kept a secret..!

"You…healed me?" Ichigo asked, turning to stare at me.

"Y-Yeah, but don't worry. It was nothing." I answered, shoving myself off of the tree to show him that I was alright, only for me to wobble and Rukia ran over to my side to steady me. I rolled my eyes; I hated when I was in this state. I was utterly useless..! "Paku, you can come out now!"

Before anyone could blink, my body dove towards me from out of the nearby woods. She clung onto me in a death grip, hugging me like I had almost died. Paku then let go of me and bowed, smiling.

"Paku..?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep; she's a Mod-Soul that Urahara gave me. Actually, she was a gikongan first, but he tinkered with her. That means she's now classified as a Mod-Soul." I explained, entering my body. I took the bright green pill from my mouth as I stretched. "I named her Paku because it's short for Kaizo Konpaku. You named Kon, so I decided to name mine 'Paku.' Besides, it was cuter than anything else. And I keep her in this cute little panda plushie!"

I dug through my bag, pulling out the panda plushie that Ururu had given me not too long ago. I inserted the bright green pill into its mouth and watched as she sprung alive and hugged me again. I laughed, returning the hug.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Jun-Sama! You had me worried!" Paku exclaimed, burring her head in the crook of my neck.

"As you can see, she worries about me constantly. She's like a Mother figure." I explained, lightly patting her head. "You know I'm not going to die yet! And, oh!"

I remembered something, and dug around in my bag once more. My hand curled around the smooth outside of a cardboard box, and I nodded while pulling it out.

"Catch," I advised, throwing a box of Band-Aids at Ichigo. He fumbled with it, almost not catching it. Maybe I should have given him a little bit more of a warning..? Nah. "Put those on; they'll help."

"Thanks," Ichigo mumbled, opening up the box and pulling out a couple of the bandages. "I lost…didn't I?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, as he tossed the box back at me. I placed them back in my bag and shivered a bit from the cool rain. "He ran. And nobody died today. There no mistaking the fact that you won."

"But, he isn't dead…" Ichigo murmured, looking down. "I-"

"Ichigo?" I asked, wondering what got him so depressed all of a sudden.

"Sorry; I'll be a little while." He spoke, standing up and walking away. Without looking back, he threw a wave to me from behind his back.

Che. Same old Ichigo, alright.

"Well, I'll be heading home then." I said, stretching a bit. "I don't want to get any worse than I am. I'll see you guys later!"

I waved to Rukia and Kon as I walked off in the rain.

Things might finally start getting interesting. There's nothing I can do but play the part that I am supposed to. I trust Urahara, and it seems like he has something big planned…

Well, I guess only time will tell what everything has in store.


	21. Chapter Twenty

• • •

Well, this was strange.

I never thought that I would live to see a peaceful day here in Karakura Town. So far today there have been no Hollow attacks, so we've been in school all day long. Even class was boring today.

I yawned, hiding it behind my magazine that I was reading.

Turning the page out of boredom, I felt myself glaring. Horoscopes; they were my least favorite part in magazines like this.

Well, they didn't bother me that much. I just thought that they were a load of bull. After all, there's no way that the position of stars could determine what happened in anyone's life. But, I decided to read it anyway.

Hey, I was bored. No judgment people.

Let's see; I was a Virgo, wasn't I? Yeah, that's what it is…

"What are you reading?" Rukia asked, taking the seat next to mine as she studied the cover of my magazine. She was probably wondering if she needed to snatch it from my bag later…

"Well, I just got to the horoscope section." I explained, lightly rolling my eyes. "I don't believe in them at all. I just read them so I can prove them wrong."

My eyes scanned the description for Virgo's, making me scoff.

"See! Now, that's a load of crap!" I exclaimed, shaking my head. My bangs fell in my eyes, so I had to push them away.

"Let me see! What are you?" Rukia excitedly asked, snatching the magazine from my grip.

"Virgo." I mumbled, crossing my arms and leaning back against my chair as I turned my body to face Rukia.

"'Like a dance instructor who still loves the basic steps, you can get everything done and have brainpower left over to guide others and tell jokes. Social interactions with your Cancer make for an interesting week. Use your brainpower and you'll be able to land your Cancer hook, line, and sinker.'" Rukia read, eyebrow raised. "Well, it does sound like you. You're always being sarcastic and providing some comic relief. And you are quite smart, especially in battle."

I sighed, lightly shaking my head. "That part might be true, but the last part is way off the deep end." I shook my head once more. "Besides, I don't even know any Cancers. And if that's the case, how am I going to get one in a week? See? Nonsense."

"Well, mine sounds about right. I'm a Capricorn." Rukia said, pausing as she read her horoscope. I stood up and leaned over her shoulder to read her horoscope as well.

"You two actually read that garbage?"

I jumped at the sound of the voice, my hand immediately going to my heart to try and calm it down.

"W-What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to steady my heart beat after that surprise appearance. Boy, Ichigo sure knew how to pop in on people and give them a heart attack.

Ichigo's brown eyes narrowed as he stared at the magazine in Rukia's hands. "Horoscopes; they're a bunch of trash."

"I don't believe in it either. I just read it in order to prove it wrong." I explained, as Rukia closed her eyes and shook her head. She handed me my magazine back, muttering something about me being childish.

"Let me see that." Ichigo said, taking the magazine from my hands. His eyes scanned over the page for a few seconds before he snorted.

"What?" Rukia asked, raising her eyebrows in confusion.

"It's written that this week's gonna suck for me." Ichigo explained. "But I'm not worried about it at all, because I don't trust it one bit."

I smiled, rolling my eyes. "Well, read your horoscope out loud. I wanna hear what it says."

Ichigo's eyebrows rose in amusement as a smirk appeared on his face. He cleared his voice, trying to be funny, before he began reading. "'Geez, what can I say? In any case, terrible stuff will happen in continuous succession for the rest of the week. Heads up, your life may spiral into despair. Lucky number is six-six-six; lucky color is red on black.'"

"Hey, those are my colors!" I exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the strawberry. "My stupid horoscope didn't even give me a lucky number or color, the cheap piece of crap…"

"Whatever," Ichigo muttered as he tossed the magazine into the air. Luckily, Rukia managed to catch it before it hit the ground. He turned towards me and smirked. "You're just easily amused." With that said, he turned and walked over to his own desk and conversed with Keigo, Mizuiro, and Chad.

"I'd take that as a compliment." Rukia advised me with a smile.

"Hm, yeah, I guess so. I mean, it's true." I said, sighing as I laid my head down on my desk. This day was just so boring… It seemed like school would never end..!

• • •

[Kuchiki Rukia's Point of View]

Was it just me, or did Ichigo and Jun seem like they were getting along much better than they ever have before?

Actually, Jun has even begun calling Ichigo by his first name recently. All she ever call him was 'Kurosaki' before. I wonder what happened between them. They don't seem as tense as they did before… They actually seem friendlier towards each other now…

I shook my head; now wasn't the time to dwell on thoughts like that. If anything happened between them, they would both let me know.

Opening up the magazine, I decided to pass the time by looking through it. I always looked through the stuff that Jun brought, hoping that it would help be become better informed about normal human life.

Oh, horoscopes again?

I scanned through them based on a gut instinct, and I felt my eyes widen.

Ichigo is a Cancer?!

That couldn't be possible, could it?

Although, it did seem to be a little bit true.

If there was ever a chance for Ichigo to date, I would probably guess that he'd go out with Jun first. They just seem similar in so many ways. And what they aren't similar in, they complement each other.

Besides, they have been acting friendlier towards each other. I've noticed it, and probably others as well. However, I doubt either one of them have noticed anything different.

Both of them are as dense as rocks when it comes to love.

And when I thought of Ichigo and Jun being together…why did I feel a twinge of jealously? It's not as if I was jealous of Jun for Ichigo choosing her. I didn't like Ichigo in that way. But…

They are both so much alike; I feel that when they realize it, I'll be left out. Both of them belong here, in this world.

I do not belong here.

I was lonely.

• • •

[Kokawa Jun's Point of View]

"Jun-Chan!"

I turned at the sound of my name, seeing Orihime and Tatsuki running in my direction. Orihime was beaming as she skipped. When she stopped in front of me, she immediately crossed her arms in an 'X' shape.

"Bohahaha~!" Orihime laughed, copying the laugh of Don Kanonji; the host of a phony ghost show on prime time TV.

"Eh, what a weak reaction…" Orihime observed, withdrawing her arms as she looked at me curiously. "Don't you know what it's from?"

"Yeah, I do know what it's from. 'Ghost Bust,' right?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at the auburn haired girl in front of me.

"Bingo! You are correct!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down in excitement from my correct answer.

"Yeah, well… Sorry to disappoint you, but I hate that show." I explained, shaking my head as I sighed. I already knew that she'd take this badly…

"Eh?!" Orihime asked, eyes widening dramatically. "How can you hate it?! It's a wonderful show!"

"I just don't like it. I think it's a bit strange…" I explained, dismissing it with a quick wave of my hand. Seriously, was this really something to get so worked up over?

"B-But you do know that they're doing a live shoot here, in Karakura Town, next week, right?" Orihime asked. "You'll come with us, won't you?"

"Come with you guys?" I asked, eyes widening in shock. "Why would I want to go to see it?"

"Because Tatsuki-Chan and I will be there! We're both going, so you can come along with us, too! Besides, I heard that Rukia-San is going to come, too! Come on! It'll be a lot of fun! We can even invite Kurosaki-Kun as well!" Orihime gushed.

"Oh, alright." I sighed and caved. If I had refused, Orihime would have just kept on bugging me no matter what. This way saved much more energy and time. "You can count me in."

"Great! It will be amazing, just you wait and see! We'll have so much fun together!" Orihime exclaimed, beaming once more. "Now I think I'll go and ask Kurosaki-Kun!"

I sighed, putting my head down on my desk.

Just what had I gotten myself into..?

"You know, it's really good that you're going to this. You should find more time to relax and just have some fun." Rukia advised.

"Sure; when you put it that way, it makes so much sense." I replied, my words dripping with sarcasm. "Besides, if I took your advice, I'd be gone to the nearest beach…"

"I'm not going!"

"Gosh, Ichigo has a loud voice…" I murmured, causing Rukia to laugh.

Ichigo was with Chad, Mizuiro, and Keigo. That group was always loud whenever they got together; well, excluding Chad. And Mizuiro wasn't that loud… So it was mainly just Keigo and Ichigo.

"Why?!" Keigo exclaimed, turning his gaze from outside the classroom window to the strawberry. "Don't you know?! A popular show representing Japan is coming to our town! If you don't go to watch this, you're as good as dead as a Karakura resident! From tomorrow on, you'll be known as 'The Guy Who Didn't See It!'"

"How creative…" Ichigo muttered, dodging around Keigo to lean against the windowsill. "Anyway, you're from Naruki City. What's with this 'our town' stuff? It's only right now that you pretend you're from here." Ichigo lazily waved his hand, dismissing the conversation.

"Ugh, why… why you're so harsh~!" Keigo whined, "I went to… I went to all of the trouble to invite Kuchiki-San! Aaaand! Jun-Kun is going, too!"

Keigo wildly gestured over towards Rukia and I, who were in the middle of a conversation about how weird he was. So, naturally, we both blinked dumbly at him.

"What are you guys even talking about?" I asked, blankly staring at the group of guys near us. "Rukia and I just heard our names, so what's up?"

"You're both coming to the live episode of 'Ghost Bust,' aren't you?" Keigo asked, running over to us.

"Unfortunately, yes. Orihime and Tatsuki asked me, so I said that I'd go." I explained with a sigh. "However, I'll probably bring a book or my iPod to keep me busy…"

"But-!" Keigo began, eyes wide. "Once you get there you'll have tons of fun! I just know it~!"

"Mhm. Sure I will." I sarcastically said, rolling my eyes.

"And Kuchiki-San! You're going too, right?" Keigo asked her.

"Oh, yes! It'll be so much fun~!" Rukia replied, bringing her hand up to her fake smile, giggling a bit. Okay, her acting hasn't improved as much as I had thought it would.

"Come on, Kuchiki-San! Bohahaha~!" Keigo laughed, urging Rukia to laugh along with him. His arms were crossed the same way that Orihime's were, and he laughed just like Don Kanonji.

"Oh, my!" Rukia fake-ly exclaimed, seeming to blush and cover her face. "I can't! I'm too shy!"

Okay; maybe I was wrong. Maybe she did add some more stuff to her arsenal of acting skills…

Please let this week go by quickly…

• • •

Next Wednesday

7:29 PM

"I don't want to go..!" I whined, being pulled by Tatsuki towards the huge crowd that surrounded the old abandoned hospital in Karakura. And when I say huge, I mean more like it was a sea of people. They were like cockroaches! There was no end to them..!

Why were people gathered around an old and abandoned hospital in the first place?

This is where tonight's episode of Ghost Bust was going to be filmed LIVE at. Stupid Don Kanonji…

However, I wasn't the only one here.

Tatsuki, Orihime, Rukia and I traveled together. Across the street we saw Keigo, Mizuiro, Chad, and even Ichigo! Needless to say, I was once more drug around; this time towards the group of guys.

"I'm surrounded by idiots…" I murmured, my left eye twitching. Everyone, save for Ichigo, got into Kanonji's signature pose. "Kill me now..!"

"Oh, come on." Rukia murmured, dropping her arms and glancing at me. "Let loose and have some fun, for once! That's what we're here for, at any rate. Think of it as a vacation."

"A vacation..?" I asked, a deadpan expression on my face. "What ever happened to going to exotic beaches during vacations..?"

"You came!" Keigo and Mizuiro shouted in unison, being dramatic and pointing at Ichigo. I guess they were surprised that he showed up.

"Shut up! Be quiet! I'll kill you!" Ichigo threatened, crossing his arms and glaring at his two best friends. Some friends they were…

Keigo and Mizuiro shrunk back, cowering in fear of the bloodthirsty strawberry. He seemed to be in an even shorter mood than usual tonight.

"See?" Rukia asked, pointed at the orange haired teen. "Even Ichigo came tonight. Now, cut loose and enjoy yourself!"

"But, I don't wanna!" I explained, crossing my arms and glaring. "This is so annoying. I hate crowds. I hate hospitals, too."

"You hate hospitals?" Ichigo questioned, his ears perking up once he heard that.

I nodded, shivering at just the thought of those buildings. "Yeah, they bring back tons of bad memories. So, in a sense, I hate them."

"Well, I highly doubt that anything will happen here." Rukia said, observing the old hospital.

"Well, this is Karakura Town. Stranger things have happened." I blinked, then gestured to Ichigo with my thumb. "That's the perfect example."

Ichigo sneered at me, narrowing his cinnamon tinted orbs. "Please, like you have any room to talk."

"Well, I do." I nodded, putting my hands on my hips before smirking. "I'm trendy and scene. You, sadly, aren't up to par with the newest fashion crazes."

"Mhm," Ichigo sarcastically hummed. "You're someone who dresses in flashy scene clothes, dyes their hair with unnatural colors, and has tons of piercings. I doubt you have any room to talk."

"Hm, but you know all of that makes me special." I nodded, smiling. "Besides, people love me for being me, right? I'm trying to lighten the mood, anyhow! And you're not helping any..! This is supposed to be a 'vacation'!"

"Yeah, well, I don't want to be here either! I'd rather be at home." Ichigo said, once more crossing his arms and glaring at the surrounding crowd.

"Then why did you come?" I asked, moving my hands so that they were behind my back, grasping one another. I rocked back on the heels of my black converse, looking up at the strawberry.

"Yuzu and Dad are big fans of the show." Ichigo explained, as he gestured over to his younger sister and Dad. "Karin could care less, but she came because Yuzu did."

"And you still came, even though you don't like this kind of stuff?" I asked, putting my finger to my chin as I thought, trying to find the right words. "That's…sweet?"

"Yeah, well… I thought that they'd look pretty stupid if they came here alone." He explained, his cheeks lightly heating up. However, I wasn't sure if he was blushing or if it was from the dim light; the street lights were just beginning to flicker to life.

"Ah! The lights finally came on! Now I can read..!" I happily squealed, digging through my bag until I pulled out a new edition of my favorite manga.

"Manga..?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mhm! New material, too. I've been waiting for this for a while; it's quite difficult trying to get it smuggled into Soul Society…" I mused, smiling as I opened it up. "More like expensive. They charge you an arm and a leg for the newest stuff…"

"You two are pathetic!"

Ichigo and I jumped at the loud voice, only to find that it was Rukia.

"We came here to have fun! What's the point of even coming if you don't have any fun?!" Rukia asked, placing her hands on her hips in a stern manner. I felt as if I were being scolded by my Mom..! "Besides, the two of you must be exhausted from balancing school work with Shinigami work all of the time. Use this chance to spread your wings!"

Eh?! Rukia was actually concerned?!

Was this the end of the world?!

"By the way," Rukia added, looking curious. "What in the world is this festival about?"

"You came here without even a clue?!" Ichigo roared, eyes seeming to pop from his sockets. Before he could lunge at Rukia, I decided to grab his forearms and hold him back; it wouldn't be good to attack her in front of this large crowd..!

"Rukia," I calmly tried to explain, my eyes narrowing towards her, "This is a TV show, not a festival!"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as well, but he stood still. At least he wasn't trying to lunge at her anymore. "Yeah, a really stupid one where they try to exorcise ghosts and stuff like that. The paranormal stuff that he pulls totally reeks of fakeness!"

"I see…" Rukia murmured, nodding her head as she brought her hand up to her chin in thought. "It's a 'tee-vee' show. I understand!" Rukia brought her fist to her hand in triumph, "And so, it's a festival of that!"

"She doesn't get it at all…" I sighed, dropping my hands from Ichigo's arms as I let my head fall to my chest.

"But still," Ichigo asked, "Is there really a spirit in that abandoned hospital?"

"What do you mean?" Rukia asked, turning to look at us with a curious expression.

"It's pretty standard for a psychic show, but…" Ichigo began, lightly scratching the back of his orange hair, "But if that type of spirit was here, you Shinigami would have taken care of it, right?"

"I wouldn't say that exactly," Rukia muttered, her gaze drifting towards the abandoned hospital once more. "In this sort of place it's usually an Earthbound spirit. Earthbound spirits are naturally assimilated with the land, so Soul Society and our sensors rarely pick up on them. The one circumstance where an Earthbound spirit shows itself is-"

"Coming through!"

We were all ushered out of the way as the camera crew rushed past us; they were trying to set up different cameras so they'd have different shots of tonight's show.

"More to the right!"

"Back, back!"

"Put it towards the center!"

As a cameraman rushed closer to the hospital's grounds, the second the sole of his foot landed on the property a terrifying scream resounded through the area. I dropped my manga in surprise, as I quickly covered my ears, blinking.

"Only when a human trespasses on its territory!"


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

• • •

"…What's this voice..?" Ichigo asked, looking around to see if he could find the source.

It was really creepy. First it started as screams and then it was like we could hear someone speaking. I was getting chills; I was about at my limit for being able to handle creepy.

"The cry of an Earthbound spirit." Rukia informed, "There really does seem to be one here."

"An Earthbound spirit..? It sounds like a Hollows voice to me!" Ichigo observed.

"Yeah, that's right." I nodded, crossing my arms and shivering. "He is a Plus that is descending into becoming a Hollow. That's a Demi-Hollow's voice."

"Right," Rukia nodded, "Look."

Ichigo and I followed Rukia's finger, our eyes landing on the ghost that was just beginning to show itself. He looked more ghostly than any of the others…mainly because he had chains wrapped around him which bound him to the hospital.

"His heart has been captured by this hospital." Rukia informed, violet eyes narrowing towards the abandoned hospital as she scanned the rest of the area.

"See, there's all the proof that I need; that's why I don't like hospitals!" I exclaimed, shivering once more.

"Yeah, I see." Ichigo muttered, "The sensation is that of a Hollow nearby, but… He's not wearing the Hollows thing that looks like a white mask."

"Exactly, and if you look closer, you can see that the hole in his chest hasn't fully opened up yet either." I pointed out, looked at the flesh being tugged on, but not completely torn yet.

"The open hole in a Hollows chest is evidence that it lost its heart and turned into a heap of instincts." Rukia explained. "And so, the white mask that you were talking about earlier, imitates a skull that protects those exposed instincts from the outside world."

"Either one should be unnecessary if one still has their heart." I pointed out, explaining the difference.

Rukia nodded, continuing to explain. "When people die, the Chain of Fate that grew out of the heart disconnects from the body. Those without strong regrets in this world stay like that as they wait for Shinigami guidance. However, those with regrets bind themselves to the focus of their regret via the Chain of Fate. If the focus is a person they become 'Obsessed Spirits.' If the focus is a place they become 'Earthbound Spirits.'"

"So, that guy is-"

"Right." Rukia answered, cutting Ichigo off. "Either this hospital is that regret or some sort of accident happened here."

"Either way, he's still a spirit with regrets in this place." I summed up, shrugging my shoulders.

"Whatever it is-"

Rukia was cut off by the spirits roar, sounding much like a Hollow before it began speaking. "This hospital is mine! I won't hand it over to anyone! Hey, you guys can't come in! If you come in, you have to pay cash! I'll kill ya!"

Deadpan looks instantly spread over all of our faces.

Rukia crossed her arms, blank look not fading. "If you listen to those shouts… you can see why he persists."

"I should have inherited this hospital from my Father! And then, with this hospital, I would've raked in the cash and become incredibly rich! I had planned to ride a pink Cadillac, drink pink Don Perignon, and become like an aristocrat of West-Azabu at night! Yet that…that…damn old man passed it on to my younger brother! Unforgivable!"

"He's carrying one hell of a greedy grudge." Ichigo mumbled, and I weakly nodded.

"Silence please, everyone!" A voice boomed from the speakers, trying to catch everyone's attention. Of course everyone quieted down, curious if the show was about to start. "And now the broadcast will begin!"

"Oh! Looks like something is going to start!" Rukia beamed, looked around excitedly.

"She…she really doesn't get it!" I mumbled, eyes closed as I face palmed. Ichigo sighed in defeat, placing his hands in his pockets and shaking his head.

"IN FIVE!"

"FOUR!"

"THREE!"

"TWO!"

The director pointed forward, his silent one beginning the show.

"Good evening, everyone!" The announcer said into the microphone, as he adjusted his glasses. His voice could easily be heard by everyone in the crowd, even if they were cheering. "Tonight's 'Ghost Bust!' is entitled the 'Emergency Live Broadcast Special!' and we have come to the abandoned hospital in Karakura Town, Tokyo..! They say that, night after night, when a vengeful spirit's cry can be heard, the good local citizens do not come near this hospital… Surely, that man will cook something up for us tonight! And here he comes!"

The crowd cheered wildly, throwing their arms up in the air in excitement.

"And here he comes! The charismatic spirit medium of the century! Messenger of hell! Mister Don! Kanonji~!"

"Where's that idiot host at, anyway?" I asked, looking around for anyone dressed in a weird get-up.

"Up there," Ichigo answered, pointing up at the sky.

I squinted up, seeing a helicopter. Then, a dot came from the helicopter dot; he'd just jumped from the helicopter.

"How's it going, babies?!"

I could feel my eye twitch. Of course he had to try and make the biggest appearance that he could.

"The spirits are always with you~!"

I didn't think that it was even possible, but the crowd seemed to grow at least ten times louder! I groaned, "Why me?!" I didn't even want to come, yet I was surrounded by a crowd of idiots.

Rukia pushed through the other people, making her way closer to the hospital. She even laughed along with them..!

"Hey!" Ichigo and I yelled out at the same time "Rukia! You traitor!"

"He's the main star of tonight's festival!" Rukia explained, smiling along with all of the other people. "What a swanky way to make an entrance! I hate to say it, but… It's superb!" Her thumb rose in the air, signifying that he had her seal of approval.

"Hey!" Ichigo called out, trying to get her attention.

"What?"

"Don't give me that!" Ichigo exclaimed, before jerking his finger towards the Earthbound spirit. "You sure it's okay? Shouldn't we go ahead and perform a Konso? Won't he become a Hollow?"

"Don't worry," Rukia advised us, smiling. "Essentially it takes months, even years, to turn into a Hollow. He won't suddenly become a Hollow in the time of an hour! Exposed in the open like this, it would mean trouble if there's a struggle and people get hurt. We'll give it a Konso after the festival."

"Yeah, but…" Ichigo hedged, not sure what to say.

"This certainly…" Don Kanonji spoke, adjusting his glasses.

"SMELLS LIKE BAD SPIRITS!" The crowd cheered along with the host, as they jumped, screamed, and whistled.

"Ah~!" I exclaimed, almost squished as several of the people around me jumped up and down, expressing their excitement. Ichigo's scowl deepened before he tugged me away from them, as I muttered a quick thanks.

"Worry wart," Rukia said, "I told you that it'll be fine. The eve of becoming a Hollow is longer and more painful. That is when it gets so awful that the cries elevate. Does it look to you like he's at that point of suffering?"

While Rukia was talking to Ichigo, I was tracing Kanonji's movements with my eyes. He had just walked straight up to the spirit, as if he knew that it was there. Kanonji raised one of his big hands to his chin as he stared at the spirit's face in contemplation.

It had to be a coincidence, right? There was no way that Kanonji could actually see that spirit, could he?

"…Not really…" Ichigo replied to Rukia.

"Am I right?" Rukia asked me, to which I simply shrugged my shoulders. "Unless someone goes as far as to aggravate the open hole in his chest, he still has more than half a year until he becomes a Hollow."

"Here! With my Super Spirits Stick!" Kanonji bellowed out, as he pulled back what looked like a walking stick, and aimed it at the spirit. "I'll finish him off in one blow!"

"No!" I screamed, my eyes widening. My scream was drowned out by the crowds cheering, much to my dismay.

Kanonji had just aimed his cane right at the halfway open hole in the spirits chest. He was soon twisting the flesh around, slowly tearing the hole open even further. "Hey! Don't worry! It only hurts at first! I'll send you to heaven soon, baby~!"

"Wha-What is that guy doing?!" Ichigo yelled.

"Ooooh~!" The announcer cooed into his microphone, getting into the show. "He suddenly brought it out; his Super Spirit Stick~! Watching Mr. Don Kanonji use it at this stage is certainly exceptional! Does it mean this mission is that perilous?!"

"That idiot!" I hissed, eyes widening in shock.

"Even if he does that, he'll only expand the spirit's wound!" Rukia muttered, appearing to be shell shocked. "At that rate… It will only speed up the process to make him a Hollow..!"

"Now relax, baby~!" Kanonji yelled as he continued to drive his staff through the hole in the spirit's chest. "This time I will release you from the chain of nightmares that bind you! Yeahhhh~! Kilu-kilu-aunan-auma-ku-ki-lunan~!"

"He brought it out; the Exorcism lyrics~!" The announcer yelled into the microphone, jumping up and down as he did so. "He plans to finish it off in one blow?!"

"This is bad..!" I winced, covering my ears as the spirits cry continued to elevate and become more banshee like. "At this rate…"

"Shit!"

Ichigo cursed, before taking off running. I blinked; one second he was beside me and the next he was gone. However, it wasn't that difficult to find that bright orange hair.

That idiot was running straight towards Kanonji..! He jumped over the roped off area easily.

"STOP!" The strawberry roared, barreling towards the spiritualist.

"Wha?! What's with this guy?!"

"Security!"

"What's he doing?!"

I blinked, watching as security guards seemed to materialize from thin air and leap towards Ichigo. "Watch out," I advised, even if it was in vain.

He was soon tackled to the pavement by the large number of security men. I winced at the sound of the bodies piling on top of each other on the pavement; it wasn't a pretty sound.

"Well, we now know that Ichigo is a magnet for trouble." I muttered to Rukia, sweat dropping as I saw him trying to wiggle out of the pile.

"Wha-What's going on?!" The announcer bellowed, looking around for the cause of the ruckus. Oh my, I could tell that this was going to get embarrassing real quick. "There is suddenly a ruckus within the cordoned-off area! Somehow, an excited young man jumped into the area; it looks as if he has been caught by security…"

"Let go..!" Ichigo argued, as he was hauled off of the pavement. The security guards had a firm hold on his arms from behind; much like how a police officer would apprehend a criminal. "If you don't, something bad will happen!"

"Go to commercials, commercials!" A worker frantically called, trying to stall for some time until they got Ichigo into custody.

"Right! Commercials in four! Three!"

"Ichigo!" Rukia yelled, tugging on her red glove and rushing over towards the captured strawberry. "Come here! I'll change you into a Shinigami!"

"Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed, surprised as she was making her way over towards him.

"Seize her!"

More guards appeared and tackled Rukia to the ground as well.

This was getting us nowhere.

"Those idiots," I muttered, sneakily migrating through the crowded and standing near the ropes. "Getting caught so easily… And they're so noisy, too. Sheesh, and Rukia says that Ichigo and I fight a lot; just what are her and Ichigo doing now? Arguing, that's what."

"Well, if it isn't Jun-Kun~!"

Blinking, I froze. I knew that voice. "Urahara?"

"The one and only. Might I be of any assistance?" Urahara asked, hiding his wide grin behind his paper fan.

Before I could even respond, Urahara swiftly brought up his cane and not too gently tapped my forehead, which caused my soul to fall to the ground, my body soon following suit. Tessai bent down and easily picked up my soulless body, tossing it over his shoulder and giving me a thumbs up.

"Hey, thanks Urahara. But what are you doing here?" I inquired, cocking my head to the side as I stared up at him in confusion.

"I was just offering my assistance. Besides, we shouldn't be standing here chit chatting, now should we? Kurosaki-San needs help, right?" Urahara answered, before chuckling from behind his fan. An identical mischievous grin flitted across my own face as I watched him sneak over towards Ichigo.

Success~!

Urahara managed to sneak up on them and strike Ichigo forcibly in the forehead with his cane, causing his soul to literally tumble out. And I do mean quite literally. Ichigo rolled three times before landing on the ground in a heap.

"W-What happened?!" The guards screamed, holding Ichigo's now limp body. After all, these were a group of spiritually unaware people. If they couldn't hear the spirit crying out in pain as Kanonji tried to so call 'exorcise' it, then they most certainly didn't see Ichigo's soul fly out of his body. Nor would they believe it if that's what they were told.

"Ow..!" Ichigo muttered, bringing a hand up to cradle his head, "Who?!"

"Ta da, Urahara!" I informed, popping up in front of Urahara with a smile. Of course, he could still be seen because I was so short.

"The Geta-Boshi guy..?" Ichigo questioned, referring to Urahara by his old fashioned clogs and his striped hat. "Why's he here...?"

"Look, don't space out. You're in a hurry, Kurosaki-San!" Urahara chided, waving his face back and forth. "You should be off as well, Jun-Kun!"

"Oh, that's right..!" I gasped, eyes widening. My eyes darted over to Ichigo, who held my gaze. I nodded, jumping to his side as we took off. We skidded to halt in front of Kanonji, blocking him from the spirit.

"STOP!" Ichigo roared, knocking Kanonji to the ground.

"Oh no~! What's happened here?! Mr. Kanonji was suddenly driven back by an incredible force~!" The announcer exclaimed, as if he didn't believe his eyes. I couldn't fight the sweat drop that I was sure was sliding down the back of my head; of course he wouldn't be able to see Ichigo. So it looked like Kanonji was thrown back by some mysterious force.

"Wha-What's with you, boy?! Why do you interfere?!" Kanonji questioned as he jumped back to his feet, "You're just a ghost!"

"Oh," Ichigo blinked, his eyes trailing over to me as I jogged and caught up with them. "He can see us too?"

"It makes sense, I guess. I mean, he could see the spirit too, right?" I questioned as well, crossing my arms as I nodded.

"Yeah, you're right…" Ichigo muttered, nodding as well.

"Of course I can see you two!" Kanonji sputtered, not believing that we were doubting his abilities. "Just who do you two think that I am?! The charismatic spirit medium of the new…" Kanonji stopped mid-pose to gasp, "I see! So then, you're both my fans, even in death? But, I don't guess even death could separate two fans of my great show! And lovers, no doubt~!"

"I'm gonna kill ya!" Ichigo seethed, launching himself towards Kanonji. I sighed, rolling my eyes. Of course, I had to lunge as well. Someone had to hold Ichigo back from choking the spiritualist on live TV; I don't think that would have gone too well with the fans.

However, we were all distracted as the spirit's cries grew even more shrill and piercing. Its spirit form was beginning to crack, light emerging from within.

"No way," Ichigo yelled, "We're too late!?"

A blinding flash illuminated the area, quickly followed up by a loud explosion as the spirit disintegrated.

"He disappeared?" Ichigo questioned, as he lowered his arm. Everyone had used their arms to shield themselves as the explosion occurred. His deep cinnamon eyes met mine, "He…didn't become a Hollow?"

"Wha-What in the world just happened..?" The announcer spoke in a petrified voice, "When we thought Mr. Kanonji was suddenly driven back violently… It was followed by a fierce explosive sound… Is Mr. Kanonji alright..?"

"Yeaaaah~!" Kanonji shouted as the dust began to clear, striking another one of his poses, "Mission complete~!"

"Ichigo, keep your guard up!" I instructed, icy eyes slightly narrowing. This was unnatural…something wasn't right. It was like a gut feeling that I had. "It didn't disappear. The moment a Plus becomes a Hollow, it dissipates once and recomposes into a Hollow at a different location. What makes it worse is that, because that Plus was a wandering ghost, the place that it'll show up at will be random. It might show up miles away if it chooses to…"

My hand shot down the front of my Shihakusho, once more causing Ichigo's eyes to widen. I pulled out my phone and quickly ran a scan for the area.

"And because our Plus had his heart caught by the hospital…" I muttered, watching as the radar continuously turned. It still hadn't picked anything up.

"Ichigo! Jun!" Rukia shouted, getting our attention. "Look up!"

"Che," I muttered, quickly locking my phone before stuffing it back down in my uniform. Of course, with our luck, the Hollow was reforming in the air above us. "It's reforming..!"

Before our very eyes, the spirit was going through the transformation of becoming a Hollow. This was the first time that I'd ever seen it with my own eyes; textbooks didn't go into that much detail.

Bits and pieces of reishi floated around in the air, gathering on top of the abandoned hospital. Once there, it circled around before merging together, wisp by wisp. As the pieces joined, its hands, feet, body, and head began to reform. As soon as its head was formed, it began screaming again. However, its screams were muffled as it was spewing out white gunk…it was even running out of the eye sockets as well. The material soon hardened, forming the traditional white Hollows mask.

"He… became a Hollow!" Ichigo spoke, looking up at the Hollow. He looked dumbfounded, almost as if he had believed that Kanonji had actually sent the spirit on instead of forcing it to become a Hollow.

"Wha…what is that monster?!" Kanonji asked, shocked.

"Wha...!" Ichigo asked, turning to glare and yell at Kanonji. "What do you mean, 'what'? It's a Hollow! You've never seen one?!"

"Of course~!" Kanonji exclaimed, bringing his hand up in the air as if to prove that he was telling the truth; however, it was clear that he was making it up as he went along. "Who do you think I am?! The charismatic spirit medium of the century, Don Kanonji! Monster extermination is outside my field!"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, mirroring my own once we locked gazes and exchanged knowing looks. Kanonji just screamed 'LIAR!'

"That over there is a spirit called a Hollow-" Ichigo tried to explain, pointing up at the creature still sitting on the rooftop.

"Whoa!?" Kanonji cut the strawberry off, bringing his hands up to his ears, "I'm sensing… I'm sensing it..! The smell reeks of a super dangerous spirit! So then, he… Is the earlier spirit's evil boss who has come for vengeance!"

"That's not it!" Ichigo said, exasperated. He was still pointing upwards at the Hollow, "Listen to a person's explanation through to the end…"

"Ichigo, it's fine. It's not like he would actually listen anyway. Let's just go and get our job done, alright?" I asked.

"I'll devour your soul!" The Hollow cried, launching itself off of the rooftop at us.

"Incoming~!" I warned, putting my hand on Ankoku-Tatsu's hilt and sinking a bit lower to the ground.

"Get away, Kan-" Ichigo shouted to the spiritualist, only for Kanonji to rush forwards and push him back. He thrust Ichigo to the ground, and then he ran in front of me and pushed me back. I tripped over Ichigo's sprawled body, landing on top of him.

"Get away, young ones!" Kanonji exclaimed as I rolled off of Ichigo, sitting on my legs on the ground. "Leave this to me! Come on, bad spirit! The charismatic spirit medium of the new century, Don Kanonji, is your opponent!"

"What are you doing?!" Ichigo yelled, jumping to his feet and pulling me up as well.

"Moron!" I yelled, as we rushed to protect Kanonji; he really had no idea what he was getting himself involved in.

Ichigo managed to block the Hollow with his large Zanpakuto, and in doing so, he sent the Hollow flying back from sheer force. I withdrew my Zanpakuto as well, standing in front of Kanonji, just in case he tried to pull another crazy stunt.

"W-Why didn't you two run away?!" Kanonji asked, peering up at me and around me to look at Ichigo.

"It's the same to you, idiot! Hurry up and run!" I exclaimed, looking up at Kanonji and glaring at him.

"Me? Run away?" Kanonji questioned, "What are you saying?! I won't run away! I can't run away!"

"Can't?" Ichigo asked, confused. "What do you mean..?"

"Ichigo!" I screamed, eyes widening. "Watch out; behind you!"

Ichigo had dropped his guard while talking to Kanonji, so of course the Hollow would take that opportunity to attack. Wincing, I knew what I had to do.

Using Shunpo, I was quickly able to appear in front of Ichigo, who didn't even have enough time to raise his Zanpakuto.

I gasped when I felt the Hollows teeth dig into the flesh of my shoulder, easily biting through the skin. Gritting my teeth, I flicked my wrist and brought Ankoku-Tatsu up and managed to nick the Hollows mouth; however the cut was too shallow for it to be a death blow.

"Jun!" Ichigo screamed, eyes wide as the Hollow released me and jumped a few feet away because of the stinging pain from my cut. I weakly fell to my knees, wincing as I applied pressure to the wound on my shoulder.

Removing my hand, I saw that my normally pale skin was a sickening crimson color.

Kanonji ran forward, trying to find a way where he could help. However, the Hollow spotted him and decided to attack.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

• • •

"Ichigo! Get Kanonji!" I yelled, grabbing my shoulder as I watched the Hollow move towards him like it was about to attack. However, Ichigo hesitated, looking at my wounded shoulder.

I lightly growled, narrowing my eyes. "Now, Ichigo! Hurry! Don't think about me. Save Kanonji!"

Ichigo nodded, but his eyes were still trained onto my wounded shoulder; he was watching as the blood oozed past my fingers. He blinked, tearing his eyes from my shoulder to my face. The strawberry nodded, then ran towards Kanonji and pushed him out of the way of the Hollow.

Of course, he could have probably thought of a better way to save him then by grabbing him by the neck and shoving him out of the way…

Although, Kanonji was safe for now, which is what matters. To make things better, the Hollow ran mask first into the wall of the abandoned hospital. And it stuck!

"A golden chance!" Kanonji exclaimed, as he saw the Hollow trapped in the wall. He made the motion to stand, but Ichigo gripped onto the fabric of his shirt to hold him in place.

"Don't think so!" The strawberry muttered, glaring at the spiritualist. He drug him away from the scene, making sure that he wouldn't be able to interfere.

I rose to my feet, applying more pressure to my shoulder as I made my way over to Ichigo and Kanonji. Now, the blood had soaked though the sleeve of my top, leaving small splatter marks on the ground as I walked.

"Jun!" Ichigo exclaimed, eyes wide. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. This wound isn't that bad; it's just a little bit deep, that's all. I'll live, it's nothing too serious." I explained, wincing a little bit more as I added pressure. I needed to staunch the bleeding soon.

"Can you fight?" Ichigo asked, staring deeply into my eyes. I met his gaze head on, standing at my full height. I couldn't read the emotion behind his eyes, but I felt like I needed to prove myself.

"Yeah, I know I'll be able to. It's just… I usually hold my Zanpakuto with two hands, but I guess I'll have to try something different this time. At least this will be interesting." I said, dryly laughing a bit.

"Jun, let me fight this one." Ichigo proposed, eyes showing his resolve.

"No way!" I blinked, surprised. "This is my job! I can still fight."

"Then let me protect you!" Ichigo argued back, leaving me shocked by his words.

"W-What did you say?" I asked, afraid that I was hearing things.

Did Ichigo really offer to protect me? The prudish, angst-filled strawberry that we all know? I must have been hearing things; maybe I lost too much blood already.

"I said, let me protect you." Ichigo clarified, staring me straight in the eyes.

"I-I'm not some damsel in distress! I can protect myself, thanks." I muttered, feeling my cheeks warm up. I couldn't bear the look in his eyes, so I broke the gaze, opting to look at the ground instead.

"Jun," Ichigo sternly said, causing me to look back up at him. "You're badly hurt. Let me fight for you. It'll be a first…and probably a last!" He tried to reason, "I know you don't like people protecting you, you want to do it yourself. But, for just this once, let me protect you!"

I bit my lip; a bit of a habit of mine that I had whenever I was nervous. Of course, I told Ichigo about my past. He knew that my Father died protecting me. That's why I was so big on not being protected. I couldn't bear the thought of someone else dying for my sake.

"Fine," I answered, briefly looking into his deep cinnamon eyes. When I saw the satisfaction in them, I had to look away. "But just this once!" I added, not finding the courage to look the strawberry fully in the eyes.

However, I then saw movement from my peripheral vision. The Hollow was on the move yet again, headed for us.

"Quick, into the hospital..!" I ordered, looking around at our surroundings. It would be bad if we got in the middle of the large crowd; or even worse, if the Hollow decided to go for someone in the audience instead of one of us. I could sense a couple of people with abnormally traceable reiatsu; although, it was nothing compared to Ichigo's.

Ichigo grabbed the back of Kanonji's jacket, dragging him behind as he ran into the hospital. I ran inside after, bringing up the rear as Ichigo broke his way in through a window. From behind, I could hear the crowd wildly cheering. That must have been quite a sight: Kanonji flying through the air and being drug into the hospital..!

"Why are we running away?!" Kanonji asked as Ichigo drug him along. I think he was looking at me for an answer, but it was hard to tell with those crazy glasses he was wearing.

"You're the one who said to run!" I exclaimed, lightly shaking my head.

"N-No, that's not it! That is it, but!" Kanonji stuttered over the words, not really knowing how to phrase it. "I told you two to run away, by yourselves! Not with me! I can't run away! Oh-!"

Ichigo punched Kanonji straight in the back of the head. It wasn't even a light blow, either! Kanonji was sent flying across the hospital, eventually hitting a wall.

Shaking my head, I sighed. "Ichigo, please be careful with the old man; we can't let anything happen to him. So, try not to kill him."

"Give me a break!" Ichigo seethed, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Since earlier, all you've been saying is, 'I can't run away!' I don't get that reason! Why should we run away and not you?! Explain!"

"That…" Kanonji stated, adjusting his hat back on top of his head, "That is the exact same thing I was going to ask you…"

"I'm the one asking questions here!" Ichigo yelled, crossing his arms and glaring at Kanonji.

Sighing, I shook my head. "Why am I surrounded by idiots?" I muttered, looking back and forth between the strawberry and the spiritualist.

"…Okay…" Kanonji muttered, probably a bit freaked out by Ichigo's previous outburst. After all, many people found the strawberry quite scary.

"You've got to have some reason for saying that, right? Why can't you run away?"

"I can't run away…because…" Kanonji paused, before raising his head and getting back into one of his poses. "I am a hero!"

Ichigo and I had deadpanned expressions, weakly turning our heads to gaze at each other with expressionless faces.

"That's right… Normally, I am a pacifist who does not desire battles… However, as a hero, I cannot turn my back on the enemy!" Kanonji exclaimed, reassuring himself by looking off into the distance and clutching a hand into a fist.

"It's like he's just asking for it…" I muttered, to which Ichigo nodded and let his hands ball into fists at his sides. Honestly, I never really liked this man in the beginning, and he definitely wasn't convincing me to change my opinion of him so far. I think it would be safe to say that my dislike for him grew.

"Boy and girl…" Kanonji stated, gaining our attention once more. "Do either of you know the viewer ratings for my show?"

"Huh?" I asked, blinking in confusion. Where did that come from?

"I don't wanna answer that…" Ichigo darkly mumbled, crossing his arms.

"That is correct!" Kanonji exclaimed, as if we'd given him the right answer. "Twenty five percent! Indeed, one out of every four people in the nation are watching!" I sensed a dark aura coming from Ichigo as his eyes became shadowed, and I slowly moved away from him before he could explode again. "And, the majority of those viewers…are small children. Every week, when it is time, they stick to the TV. To them, I am a hero. They watch my actions in the comfort of their families after dinner. Children watch my actions and their hearts leap. They see me stand up to evil spirits, and… they know what courage is! Don't you two understand? With them watching, I can't run away from the enemy!"

"…Kanonji…" Ichigo muttered, all traces of previous anger towards the spiritualist gone. It looked as if he actually believed Kanonji's speech.

"Right! Now that you know, I'll go back to the meeting place and fight that monster!" Kanonji happily stated, trying to march out of the hospital.

"Wha?! You idiot! You can't do that!" Ichigo yelled, once more clutching onto the fabric of Kanonji's clothes as he tried to hold him back.

"Why not?!" Kanonji asked, his hand on Ichigo's head as he tried to push him off, "I don't want to fight in a place that has no TV cameras! Let go!"

"Then tell me Kanonji; what will you do when you go out there and the audience gets mixed up in the fight?" I asked, looking at the man expectantly.

"Yeah, you're the hero! Protecting your fans is also a hero's duty!" Ichigo added, hoping that it would get through to Kanonji.

"That thing from before is called a Hollow," I explained, removing my hand from my shoulder as I felt the bleeding finally stop. "It goes after souls with a high amount of spiritual pressure and tries to eat them. To put it in even simpler terms, souls with a high spiritual pressure are you, Ichigo, and me. If we enter the hospital this way then he'll definitely come after us. If we fight in here, then there probably won't be any victims from the audience."

"Incredible, girl!" Kanonji complimented. "You are fighting while even thinking about…that…"

The floor suddenly began moving, as the Hollow came from underground. It burst through the floor, near where Ichigo and I were standing. I stumbled to the ground, not expecting it to appear so suddenly. Falling to my injured shoulder, I winced once more as I felt it open up again. Slowly sitting up, I watched as Ichigo withdrew his Zanpakuto, getting ready to fight off the Hollow.

"It's here!" Ichigo exclaimed, hand on his Zanpakuto as he tried to attack. "Come on!"

"Um, Ichigo…" I muttered, blinking in surprise. "There's a slight problem with your Zanpakuto… It's too freaking huge to fight with in this hallway! Dumbass!"

Ichigo stood frozen in the hallway, his Zanpakuto lodged into the ceiling of the hospital. He was stuck.

The Hollow soon spit out a weird looking substance at Ichigo, who wasn't able to doge in time. It hit his hands, which were still gripping on the hilt of his Zanpakuto that was stuck in the ceiling.

"Ouwaa!" Ichigo screeched out in surprise, trying to free his hands. "What is this?! Can't move..!"

"Idiot," I muttered, shaking my head as I rose to my feet and slid Ankoku-Tatsu from her sheath.

"A-All right! Come and get it!" Ichigo shouted at the Hollow as it roared, "I'll take you on with just my legs!"

"You really are idiots; both of you!" I screamed, flash stepping in front of Ichigo once more, kicking Kanonji out of the way, and managed to block the Hollow.

The Hollow flew back once again, keeping its distance. "Did you really think that you were all alone in this fight? Don't count me out. Even if I am injured. I can't let anyone else die."

The Hollow charged once more.

However, this time, Kanonji managed to get in the way. He actually blocked it..!

"Kanonji..?" Ichigo and I questioned at the same time, surprised.

"That's right. Your words inspired me. All of them." Kanonji informed, "Allow me to call the both of you my 'Battle Buddies'!"

"No thanks..!" Ichigo and I screamed in unison once again.

"So, Battle Buddies, allow me to die…" He trailed off for dramatic effect, "Protecting you two!"

"W-What are you trying to do, Kanonji?!" Ichigo questioned as Kanonji started rambling off weird words and syllables.

"Kanonji-Style Final Ultimate Technique~!" Kanonji roared, his fist beginning to lightly glow. "Kanon Ball~!"

"Huh..?" Ichigo asked, watching in shock as a small orb of light floated in Kanonji's palm. Kanonji then proceeded to turn his palm towards Ichigo, the small orb of light directly facing the strawberry. "What's that? What do you plan to do?"

"STRIKE~!" Kanonji ordered, the orb in his hand flashing for a moment before taking off.

The funny thing was it was painfully slow. It floated along slowly, puttering along. It moved centimeter by centimeter. Floating along, it moved straight towards Ichigo. Only, it began ascending once it got close to him. The small orb continued putting along until it reached the ceiling, meeting the area where Ichigo's Zanpakuto was lodged.

Shockingly, it exploded.

"Wha-?" Ichigo asked, his vision being obscured by a cloud of dust raining down on him from the explosion.

"Pull your sword down!" I instructed, hoping that the explosion did enough damage so that Ichigo could remove his sword for the ceiling. I was pleasantly surprised when the strawberry listened to my words and complied; he was able to pull his Zanpakuto from the ceiling.

"It's out..!" Ichigo happily exclaimed, getting back in a fighting stance with his Zanpakuto. "Alright Kanonji, leave the rest to us!"

I used flash step once more, appearing in front of Kanonji. I managed to shove him and myself out of the way as Ichigo charged at the Hollow and managed to pierce its shoulder.

"Damn." Ichigo cursed, grunting a bit.

"You can't aim for the mask properly, can you?" I asked, looking around at our surroundings. The hallway was still too narrow for him to fight freely. "The ceiling is still too low, right?"

"Right," Ichigo muttered.

"Th-That's great, my friends! Teamwork~! That monster is in for it now!" Kanonji cheered, "Now, defeat him like that! If you guys work together, it can be done! I believe! I! Believe! In! You! Two!"

"Why don't you just shut up?! He needs to concentrate, not listen to your cheering!" I screamed, punching Kanonji on the back of his head with my fist.

The Hollow jumped; however, Ichigo was still attached to the Hollow via his Zanpakuto. It made its way through the wall, creating a rather large hole. The Hollow managed to propel itself and Ichigo towards the rooftop.

"Damn it," I cursed, "It's headed towards the roof..!"

"To the roof~!" Kanonji stood up and yelled, appearing in the center of the hole where the cameras could see him. At his cry, the crowd began chanting 'to the roof.'

"Oh no you don't, old man!" I yelled, chasing after Kanonji who was trying to make his way to the roof. "You don't know what you're up against! Just stay back! Ichigo can handle it, so just stay put!"

I ran ahead of Kanonji, taking the stairway up. Running and running, it felt like it took forever to actually reach the roof. And to make matters worse, Kanonji was behind me the whole time, no matter how I tried to persuade him to stay behind..!

"Ichigo!" I yelled, busting through the metal doors and onto the roof. He was in a defensive stance; at least his Zanpakuto was freed from the Hollow now. "Kanonji's on his way; he just won't stay behind..!"

Kanonji burst through the doors right after my statement, causing me to jump in the air in surprise and kick him back down. However, our little outburst caught the Hollows attention. Once its gaze landed on me and Kanonji, it was decided; it was going to get us first!

But I wouldn't let that happen.

"Watch out, Jun!" Ichigo warned as the Hollow made a sharp turn and began to make a beeline straight for us. I nodded, but I wasn't sure if he actually saw that or not.

Drawing Ankoku-Tatsu from her sheath once more, I angled myself so that my good shoulder was in the front as I blocked the Hollows attack. We were in a deadlock for a couple of seconds. I focused some of my reiatsu to my hands, finding the strength to push the Hollow and send it flying back.

Luckily, when I did send the Hollow flying back, it was pushed into the rails on the edge of the roof. It hit the rails near Ichigo, so he easily was able to slice through its mask.

"They did it!" Kanonji cheered, "Great! Wonderful! I believed in you two! As expected of my -"

"Kanonji, don't dance around so cheerfully." I said, watching Ichigo sheathe his Zanpakuto in one smooth movement. I also sheathed my Zanpakuto, lightly wincing once more as I moved my shoulder. Unluckily for me, Ichigo noticed the wince.

"Why?! What are you saying?!" Kanonji asked, surprised. "He defeated that monster! You should be happy about it!"

"Just…watch." I advised, walking over to Ichigo to stand next to him. In doing so, Kanonji was in full view of the disintegrating Hollow.

"What's this?" Kanonji asked, "The monsters body is peeling away..?"

As the reishi peeled away, the spirit's body was visible once more.

"That can't be… I'm sure I sent him to Heaven…" Kanonji muttered, shocked once more. "W-what's the meaning of this..?"

"I thought that Jun explained it perfectly earlier," Ichigo said, gesturing down at me. "That's not a monster; it's a Hollow. Now, I'll turn it over to her."

I sighed once more, shaking my head and wobbling a bit from it. Ichigo put a hand on my good shoulder to help stabilize me, so I decided to go ahead and explain it all once again to Kanonji. "Normal spirits have a chain attached to their chest. When a hole opens in their torn chest, the spirit becomes a monster that has lost its mind. That is a Hollow."

"N-No," Kanonji stuttered as he fell to the ground on his knees. "All this time… I only thought that if I open the hole and cut the chain, it would send them to Heaven… So then, what have I been doing up until now?"

"I don't know the reason behind it, but… until now, you've never seen a spirit explode and turn into a Hollow. Right?" Ichigo asked. "This time was different. You didn't know stuff, like what one does to become a Hollow. I can't say that you shouldn't let it get to you, but regret won't amount to much either."

"But…but I was…so stupid." Kanonji wailed through his tears.

Blinking, I got an idea. I grinned, raising my hand to gently tug on the sleeve of Ichigo's Shihakusho to get his attention. Said strawberry looked down at me, confused. I grinned, pointing over to the audience down below. Ichigo seemed to understand what I was mentioning.

"Hey, put those tears away, hero." Ichigo said, smirking.

"Yeah, everyone is waving..!" I added in, grinning at the spiritualist.

Kanonji walked over to the railing, looking down at the cheering crowd down below. "What's wrong? You should answer them."

"Isn't that a hero's duty?" Ichigo added, causing Kanonji to turn and look at us for a moment.

Kanonji's lips parted open a bit, before he faced the crowd once more.

"Bohahaha~!" Kanonji laughed out, crossing his arms over his chest. The crowd below instantly returned the greeting; quite loudly at that, too.

"Boy…girl… Thank you…" Kanonji spoke, "And it was a superb battle. I… give you my respect. For your courage, quick-wittedness, and strength… From this time forward, please lend me a hand."

Kanonji held out both of his hands, one for each of us. Ichigo and I shared a quick look, before shrugging and taking one of Kanonji's hands in our own.

"Sure," Ichigo volunteered, grasping onto Kanonji's hand with the one that wasn't on my shoulder. I nodded in agreement, lightly shaking Kanonji's hand as well.

If Ichigo got involved, that usually meant that I'd wind up involved as well.

"However, we'll only help every once in a while." I added, making sure that Kanonji knew that we wouldn't answer his every beck and call.

"Thank you, both of you." Kanonji nodded, "From now on, you two are my pupils~!"

Ha. Talk about a huge demotion.

Going from a substitute Shinigami to being a pupil of the number one charismatic spirit medium of this century; that was a huge demotion.

I couldn't even bring myself to laugh about it. Not even when Kanonji wouldn't let us leave until he gave us special edition fan club cards.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

• • •

"I can't freaking believe this! Do you guys have any idea of what you've done?!"

We were all called to the principal's office not too long ago. It was the day after the whole 'Ghost Bust' episode last night. Not only were Ichigo and Rukia called, because they were the ones that actually appeared on live TV, but Tatsuki, Orihime, Keigo, Mizuiro, Chad, and I were all called in as well.

"Take a look at this! It's an image that aired nationwide from a live broadcast TV show that filmed in our town yesterday! Nationwide!" The buffed up gym teacher yelled as he pressed a button on a remote that place Ichigo's face of a large screen from a projector behind the principal. "Well, then? Kurosaki, do you have anything to say when you look at this? Hmm?"

Kagine-Sensei walked over to Ichigo, looking him straight in the eye.

"…He looks a lot like me, doesn't he?" Ichigo asked.

"Every inch of him is you, moron!" Kagine-Sensei exploded in anger, a vein popping out on his forehead.

I bit my lip, trying to hold back my laughter.

Alas, it was no use.

"You find this amusing, Kokawa?" Kagine-Sensei questioned, rotating his body so that he was in front of me and glaring.

"Eh?" I asked, shocked. "Well, I was just thinking to myself, that isn't a very good picture of him to go nationwide with. Personally, I would have suggested that he was filmed from the other side."

"Why you!"

"It's my twin brother, separated at birth." Ichigo piped in, trying to draw Kagine-Sensei away from me; which worked. "Indeed, I never thought that we would be reunited this way."

"You… seriously underestimate teachers…" Kagine-Sensei muttered, at a loss for words. Weren't students afraid of his bulky form anymore? He shook his head, rounding on us all once more. "With this image going around, do you know how much shame you have brought to this school?!"

"Kagine-Sensei?" Tatsuki asked, raising her hand.

"What is it, Arisawa?" Kagine-Sensei asked, his grip on Ichigo's shirt loosening a bit as he turned to look at Tatsuki.

"I understand you called us here because Kurosaki-Kun and Kuchiki-San appeared on TV, but… I think that there was no reason for you to call for Inoue-San, Kokawa-San, and me!" Tatsuki reasoned, placing a hand on her hip.

"But… you girls were with him!" Kagine-Sensei sputtered.

"Unintentionally!" Tatsuki glared, "While we were on our way there, we just ran into Kuchiki-San, who the guys invited, so we have nothing to do with it!"

"It's a lie~!" Keigo cried out, distraught. "I invited Inoue-San, Arisawa-San, and Kokawa-San!"

Tatsuki shook her head with a deadpan expression, "Please don't place your trust in him. He is prone to delusions."

"..Tatsuki and Jun, you're only going to save yourselves, huh?" Ichigo asked, shooting us a light glare.

Tatsuki and I laughed, making faces at him. Orihime fluttered about, not knowing what to do.

"For that reason, we'll be heading back to the classroom." Tatsuki said as she walked over to the door, "Let's go, Orihime, Jun!"

"Ah, me too~!" Keigo cried, latching on to my wrist and trying to escape with me. However, Kagine-Sensei grabbed Keigo by the back of his shirt and pulled him back. I was forced back as well, almost tripping over my own feet.

"Not you!" Kagine-Sensei yelled at Keigo, before his eyes trailed down to me as well, "Or you either, Kokawa!"

"Why not?!" I asked, huffing and crossing my arms.

"Yeah!" Keigo agreed with me, "I was only with Ichigo!"

"It's because you both were with him! You both didn't try anything to stop Kurosaki, even though you were with him, so you both are to blame, too!"

"What in the world could I do to stop Kurosaki-Kun?" I asked, glaring up at Kagine-Sensei as he grabbed the front of Keigo's uniform and glared at us. "Look how much taller he is than me; how could I possibly overpower him and force him to do anything?"

"That's not the point! You didn't even try!"

"How do you know, eh? Were you there?" I argued back, hands placed on my hips.

Cue the glaring match ensuing between Kagine-Sensei and me.

"I'm so sorry. All of this is because… I couldn't stop Kurosaki-Kun." Rukia blubbered, pretending to cry. "At that time, I was the one closest to Kurosaki… When he jumped in, I had to stop him. I even raised my voice, which is quite unlike me. However, Kurosaki-Kun wouldn't even listen to my voice like that…"

"Oh, uhh… Don't cry, Kuchiki!" Kagine-Sensei stuttered; he was a manly man. He didn't know how to handle girls and tears. Rukia pulled out a handkerchief, pretending to cry in it.

Everyone ran towards the open window, Ichigo dragging me over as well because I was too busy watching Rukia try to act. Chad helped me step out and over the window, with him, Ichigo, Keigo, and Mizuiro quickly following behind us.

What surprised me the most was the fact that the principal and Ochi-Sensei didn't say anything to us when we were making our escape. They seemed like they were okay with it!

"Hey, wait you guys!" Kagine-Sensei yelled as he rushed over to the window, leaning out of it as he watched us run off.

• • •

"Oh man, we made a clean escape… and live happily ever after~!" Keigo cheered, "And every bit of it was alllll thanks to Kuchiki-San~!"

"Oh my; it wasn't much, really." Rukia gushed, pretending to hide a blush behind her hands.

"Moron, don't praise her!" Ichigo snapped. "She was going to sell me out."

"But it's thanks to Rukia's acting that we were able to escape, yourself included." I chimed in, grinning.

"That's right. I was acting! I would never do such a thing as to sell out my friend Kurosaki-Kun." Rukia mocked, smirking.

"…Bitch…" Ichigo muttered, glaring at the small violet eyed girl.

"But, it's such a shame. After all, if they were going to get mad at me all the same, I should have done something noticeable and got on camera, too." Tatsuki mused as she stretched her arms out. "Then I'd show off my sweet voice and get scouted to be a singer!"

"Cut it out." Keigo laughed. "The announcer would just talk over you like he did with Ichigo, so your voice wouldn't have been heard. Hey, Ichigo! You were unlucky in that area. Couldn't shout over it." Keigo teased, throwing a hand on Ichigo's shoulder as he laughed.

"Y-Yeah, that's true." Ichigo muttered, a deadpan expression on his face which caused me to laugh.

"Although, it should have been Jun that got on TV." Tatsuki added, nodding to herself as she thought about it. "You probably could have found a time when the announcer wasn't talking, and then maybe you could have been found by a talent group! After all, didn't you say that you wanted to be a singer?"

"Oh," I paused, lightly laughing. "You actually remembered my art project?"

"Yep! You said that you wouldn't mind being a singer someday!" Orihime piped in, grinning. "Although you should be an artist, instead."

"I'm that that great, Orihime." I giggled, rolling my eyes.

"You are too!" Orihime argued back, hands on her hips. "You got a perfect score on that project, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah." I nodded. "I got a perfect score. But didn't everyone?"

"No! I had to re-do mine!" She wailed, pouting. "Sensei didn't like mine, even though I thought that it was perfect!"

We all laughed at her, walking around as a group. It was nice spending time together like this.

"Oh! I have an idea!" Orihime suddenly yelled, breaking up all of the other side conversations as everyone focused their attention to her. "Jun-Chan, why don't you sing at the Summer Festival? There's a stage and everything! It'd be so cool~!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't like singing in front of other people. I even told you that already. I have terrible stage fright." I explained, shaking my head from side to side.

"But I want to hear you sing, Jun-Chan!" Orihime wailed, pouting.

"Jun, you did promise that you'd let us hear you sing. Remember that?" Tatsuki added, a wicked grin spreading across her face.

"Okay," I mumbled, glaring at the tomboy. "You caught me. I promised that you and Orihime would be able to hear me sing sometime. I didn't promise anything about singing in front of a huge crowd at a summer festival..!"

"Details, details." Tatsuki mused, waving her hand off to the side. "It doesn't matter, as long as we get to hear you sing."

"That's right! And we'll even sing with you! It'll be so much fun; we can do a group thing!" Orihime gushed, grinning as she clasped her hands in front of her and her eyes sparkled.

"Um, I guess I'll think about it…" I feebly said, lightly scratching the back of my head. I guess it wouldn't be that bad if they were all up there too. At least we'd all be making fools out of ourselves together..!

"So that means that you're coming to the festival, right?" Keigo asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Sure. I've never been to one before, so I guess it'll be fun. I'm not sure what to expect, but with you guys there it's bound to be memorable." I laughed.

"You've never been to a festival before?" Tatsuki asked, surprised. "Have you even seen fireworks, then?"

"This will be my first festival, if I go. But, I have seen fireworks before. They loved to fire them off during the winter when I moved overseas for a few years." I explained, thinking back to the beautiful colors flashing in the sky during the winters in Soul Society. It'd snow and be all cold, but everyone would find themselves sitting on the rooftop of their division to watch the fireworks shoot off.

"Winter fireworks?" Tatsuki questioned, "They're much better in the summer. It's all nice and warm out then. You can lie back on the grass and just enjoy yourself."

"That does sound good; I never really liked the cold, but I would brave it to go and watch the fireworks." I explained, grinning. "Alright, that settles it. I'll go to the festival. It should be a lot of fun, right?"

Everyone laughed, excitedly trying to tell me their favorite parts of the festival. I missed the confused look that crossed Tatsuki's face; she had seen Ichigo's eyes turn surprisingly soft and caring. She didn't know what caused the sudden change until she followed his gaze and looked at me. I was smiling and laughing as Keigo and Mizuiro were animatedly talking about their favorite parts of the festival. Keigo was just beginning to tell me what kind of yukata I needed to wear as we came to an intersection.

"I'll see you guys later, alright?" I asked, smiling as I waved at everyone.

"But, wait. Don't you live that way?" Orihime asked, pointing in the direction that the group was going to take.

Nodding, I grinned. "Yeah, I do. But I've got to meet someone."

"Ooh, who?" Mizuiro asked, curious.

Laughing, I shook my head. "It's nothing like that. It's just a close family friend."

"Alright, we'll see you tomorrow." Tatsuki nodded, waving back as well.

Off to the Urahara Shoten to kill a couple of hours, like I did every other day.

• • •

Why does Urahara keep me so busy whenever I go to check up on everyone at the shoten? I mean, it's only polite to ask if they need anything done. And somehow they pile all this work on top of me.

I sighed, shaking my head as I stretched. Not only did I have to do all that work at Urahara's, but I also had homework that I had to do. Well, it wasn't so much homework as doing stuff that we were told would be on our finals. Scowling, I reached for my math book and flipped it open to the right page. I made sure I had my calculator and a pencil with a good eraser before I began looking at the problems.

 **Beep. Beep. Beep.**

"Really, now?" I questioned out loud, reaching for my phone that was lying on my desk next to my book. "Another order? Why can't it ever wait?"

With a sigh, I quickly unlocked my phone and waited for the order to load. "Well, at least it's close. Paku! Come in here, please!"

"Yes, Jun-Sama~!" The panda plushie called out, running over to me from her spot on my couch. She had been watching some TV program.

"It's another Hollow," I informed her, bending down to her level on the ground. Paku nodded, closing her eyes as I reached in her mouth to retrieve the bright green pill.

I dusted it off on my shirt before I popped it into my mouth, feeling my soul separate from my body.

"Just do what you want until I get back." I ordered, watching as Paku saluted to me from my body. I sweat dropped, laughing. "And please, no more salutes? It's kind of creepy watching me salute me…"

I waved at her, phasing through the walls of my apartment as I searched for the Hollows reiatsu. My sandal covered feet lightly landed on the concrete sidewalk outside of my apartment, and I looked up at the Kurosaki Clinic.

Ichigo probably didn't know about the order; after all, it seemed like it was just a small fry anyway. There was no need for me to get him for this. I hoped Rukia wouldn't drag him out for nothing, I could handle this one. I could be nice if I wanted to; well, if nobody caught me that is.

I pinpointed the Hollows reiatsu once more, taking to jumping from rooftop to rooftop. I enjoyed navigating by rooftops; it reminded me of the Soul Society. That place was so maze like that you'd only be able to find your way around if you used the roofs.

I blinked, slowing down.

Wait..!

Did the Hollows reiatsu…disappear?

Narrowing my eyes, I flash stepped to the area where I had last sensed the Hollows presence.

I found myself in a semi-dark alleyway, which is where the order told me to be. I could faintly feel traces of a Hollows reiatsu there, but it was clear that the Hollow was long gone.

"This doesn't make any sense." I muttered to myself as I reached for my phone. "Even my phone is saying that there are no current orders. Then again, how many times this week has this already happened..?"

Glaring at the alleyway, I huffed.

"Jun?"

I whipped around at the sound of my name, hand instantly going to the hilt of Ankoku-Tatsu in case I needed her assistance. However, I soon relaxed as I saw that familiar mop of orange hair. "Oh, it's just you…"

"Did you already take care of that Hollow?" Ichigo asked, sheathing his Zanpakuto once he saw that he wouldn't need it.

"No, it was gone again before I got here." I explained as I once more glared at the brick walls of the alleyway.

"Gone? Again?" Ichigo echoed, turning to Rukia and glaring at her as she was dragging his body behind her. "How many times has this already happened since this week began? Is that cell phone broken?!"

"No! It most certainly is odd, though…" Rukia mumbled as she clicked away on her phone.

"Wait, my phone gets the orders, too. They couldn't both be broken, could they?" I asked, as I took my own phone out and inspected it. "I mean, I've been doing my best not to drop it or anything. So it should be fine…"

"Well, give me a break! I'm in the middle of exams right now!" Ichigo yelled at the powerless Shinigami beside him, his cinnamon tinted orbs narrowing.

"It's-It's the same as me!" Rukia argued back, "Besides, Jun has exams too! And you don't hear her complaining!"

"But it's because of those stupid machines being broken!" Ichigo growled, crossing his arms.

"We told you," Rukia yelled back, "They can't possibly be broken..!"

"Well, what? Are you saying that there's another Shinigami around here? And that guy is going around defeating Hollows before we do?" Ichigo asked, causing me to think.

Of course, it couldn't be a Shinigami.

I would have felt their reiatsu if another Shinigami was near; besides, I sensed no other Shinigami nearby. So, if it wasn't a Shinigami…what could it be?

It couldn't be…could it?

"Er, no…" Rukia hedged, blinking. "Shinigami are strictly sorted into different districts, so that's not it… I think…"

"WAHH~!"

I blinked; did a really fat ghost just try to fling himself towards me? I didn't even see him around before…

"I was sho shcared~! I was really, really shcared! Thank you sho much~!" The ghost exclaimed, lisp heavily present. However, Ichigo managed to quickly stand in front of me and kick the fat ghost back, forcing him away.

"So tell that to the guy who saved you!" Ichigo yelled in frustration as he ground his foot down on the fat ghosts back.

"Wa-wait, Ichigo!" Rukia exclaimed, quickly running over to our side. "Just now you said you were 'scared'! So that means there really was a Hollow here, right?! Tell us! Who defeated the Hollow and helped you?! What kind of guy saved you?!"

The spirit blinked its eyes from behind its thick glasses. "I got shcared and closed my eyes, sho I don't know…"

The aura of just plain anger and frustration fell over Ichigo, Rukia, and I. Spirit dude cowered in fear as all of our eyes became shadowed, our fists shaking at our sides.

"Eeep?!" The spirit squealed, "I-I-I… I'm shorry~! I don't know what's going on, but I'm shorry! In apology, I'll give you my treasured 'Magical Girl Megaron' figurine, sho please go easy on me!" Spirit man cried, holding out his treasured figurine.

Drawing back his fist, Ichigo let it fly; successfully punching its head off.

Of the figurine, that is. Not the spirit.

Rukia would have killed him if he had punched the spirit's head off.

"Megaron~!" The spirit man wailed, clutched what was left of its body to his chest as tears ran down his face.

"Alright. Konso time; let's do it." Ichigo ordered, withdrawing his huge Zanpakuto and scaring the spirit even further.

"Aah?! What'sh a konsho?! You gonna stab me with that shword?!" The spirit asked, cowering back into his corner in the alleyway.

I felt my muscles freeze; that small bit of reiatsu…

I know I've felt it before.

But, where was it coming from?

"What's wrong?" Rukia asked, eyebrows furrowing as her violet orbs took in my rigid muscles.

"It's nothing. I just thought…" I trailed off, shaking my head and smiling a bit. "Never mind. It's nothing to worry about."

• • •

"It's over~!" Keigo exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air and releasing his pencil. After his bright cheer, he fell onto his desk with an audible thump. "And I'm dead~!"

"Looks like crap," Mizuiro said, smiling. He was passing back the results of the finals, "Well, I'm no better."

"Quit worrying." Ichigo ordered, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he stood up. "Final exams don't hold a lot of meaning in one's life."

"Well said! That's our Ichigo! Let's share the pain of being morons~!" Keigo wailed, flinging himself towards the strawberry. "We are friends for life~!"

"…Well, it's better to say such things after the test results come in." Mizuiro advised, sheepishly grinning.

Groaning, I nuzzled my face further into my arms. Finally I had learned the secret to comfortably laying on your desk..! But… Those guys were way too loud! I couldn't get a wink of sleep with them chattering and exclaiming things...

"Jun-Kun wouldn't betray us, either~!" Keigo mused, instantly appearing in front of my desk. I jumped at his loud voice, squealing in surprise.

"K-Keigo~! Don't scare me like that..!" I whined, my hand over my heart as I glared at the loud male. Once my heart rate returned to normal, I dropped my glare and sighed. "Now, what were you talking about?"

"Oh! I was talking about finals! I did horrible, I just know it~!" Keigo whined, tears streaming down his face once more. "I also know that Ichigo and you wouldn't betray Mizuiro or me, either!" All previous traces of his tears vanished, as he cheesily grinned and threw his arm around my shoulder. I rolled my eyes, but let his arm stay there.

"Well," Mizuiro mused, sheepishly chuckling as he walked over to Keigo and me. And, I didn't blame him. We could all almost feel the heat of anger radiating off of Ichigo for some reason. "It's better to say such things after the results are in, Keigo."

"What do you mean?" Keigo asked, exchanging confused looks with me. I merely shrugged; I didn't know anything about when the results would be coming in. After all, these were the first finals that I'd ever taken in the World of the Living.

"Here; these are the mid-term standings." Mizuiro answered, pulling out a copy, seemingly from out of nowhere.

"C'mon," Keigo said, rolling his eyes as he walked over to Mizuiro and snatched the paper. "Only the top fifty in our grade are on this. It's not like Ichigo would be listed…here…"

Blinking, I grinned as I watched Keigo's face dramatically change.

Keigo froze for a second. Then, his eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. "EEEHHH?!"

Everyone around jumped from Keigo's roar, giving us all strange looks for associating with him.

"Ei, ei, ei, eighteenth?! You-You-You're eighteenth in our grade?! Out of all three-hundred-twenty-two Freshmen, you scored eighteenth?!" Keigo screamed, face frozen in horror before tears began streaming down his face. "No way! How did you reach that place?!"

"I don't do clubs, so I study at home." Ichigo explained with an expressionless face; even his trademark scowl was gone.

"That shouldn't be! I invited you tons of times to hang out!" Keigo yelled, jumping away from Ichigo and accusingly pointing at him; tears still streaming from his eyes. "I see! You frequently turned down my invitations for this kind of treachery!" Clutching his fist, Keigo looked determined. However, then he began running around the group. In circles; arms up in the air as he wildly gestured. "While we were playing around outside like idiots, you retreated to your room alone and studied hard without saying anything. You fiend! You damn nerd!"

"Um, is this normal?" I asked Mizuiro, slightly looking up at the male. Mizuiro was close to my height, but he was still a bit taller.

Mizuiro and I watched as Keigo seemed to pull a pair of thick, wide rimmed circular nerdy glasses from out of his desk. Running up to Ichigo, he presented him with the glasses, only for Ichigo to punch him in the face and break the glasses in two.

"Yeah, for Keigo it is." Mizuiro sheepishly laughed.

Ichigo walked over to us trying to get away from Keigo, who was currently curled into a ball on the floor and wailing as he clutched his face.

"But even so, you're pretty good at studying, Ichigo." Mizuiro complimented the berry, leaning around me to stare up at him. I also looked up at Ichigo, nodding in agreement with Mizuiro's statement.

"Well, this orange hair is a lot of trouble, really." Ichigo said, grabbing a piece of his hair as he looked up at it. "No matter how many times I say it's my natural color, the Upperclassmen pick fights with me. And the teacher's keep an eye peeled on me. I'm in a no good situation. I'm short tempered, so if someone picks a fight with me, I can't help fighting back. When the teacher's falsely accuse me, I rebel. And that gives them another reason to accuse me of having a bad attitude. I'm weary of that stuff, so I raised my grades. For the time being, the faculty doesn't come to say anything to me provided that my grades are good. That's the reason why I study."

"I see," Mizuiro mused, his eyes softening. "It seems like… That's a lot of problems. Even for you."

"Not really," Ichigo shrugged it off, as he turned towards the windows and looked outside. "I'm used to it."

Keigo had crawled back over to us, taking a seat next to me on the floor. I was a bit weary, wondering if he was going to look up my skirt. So, I leaned back on a nearby desk and crossed my legs. However, I found that my eyes couldn't stay away from Ichigo's back for long; I couldn't stop my own eyes from softening like Mizuiro's had.

I knew what Ichigo was talking about. I mean, I could understand where he was coming from; to a certain extent. I never really had to worry about actual teachers and bullies… In the Shino Academy there were people who found my style odd. Of course, I had multiple piercings and a weird style. That was before I added the weird colors to my hair. But, I always stuck out. People didn't want to befriend someone unlike themselves. The teachers also kept a close eye on me; at first I thought it was just because I was a human. That might have had some influence on it, but I then realize that it was probably because of my style. Nobody really tended to say anything about it to me, to my face I mean, but I do receive a lot of stares and whispers whenever I go anywhere.

"For you, I give this nerdy headband as a pres-"

I was brought out of my thoughts as Keigo held a headband to his forehead, rushing towards Ichigo again. It was a normal white headband, but the center had the kanji for 'pass' on it.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, before grabbing a pair of scissors off of a nearby desk. With a simple snip, he cut through the headband; also managing to cut Keigo's forehead.

"Well, it looks like Ichigo isn't the only one that made it on the list." Mizuiro said as he scanned through the names on the list, a grin working its way onto his face.

"What do you mean?" I asked, blinking out of curiosity as I scooted my way over to the dark haired teen. I coyly tried to peek over his shoulder at the names on the paper.

"You made it on the list, too!" Mizuiro proudly announced, grinning at me. He turned the page towards me, his finger pointing out my name.

Number twenty-one: Kokawa Junko

"Wow; I actually made twenty-first?" I asked, rapidly blinking as I looked at the number beside my name.

"WHAT?!" Keigo boomed, startling me once more as he rapidly appeared on my other side and screamed in my ear. "You betrayed me too?!"

"Haha, I guess so." I laughed, grinning from ear to ear. "I was really just so tired that I couldn't see what I was bubbling in. So, I think it must be a miss-print. Either that or I got really lucky."

"Nonsense!" Mizuiro tisked, shaking his head as he smiled. He then raised a hand and brought it up to rest on top of my head. "You're smart."

"Hehe, thanks~!" I mused, looking up and smiling at Mizuiro. However, then I sighed, shaking my head. "But I can't believe that Ichigo's smarter than I am!"

"Ichigo?" Mizuiro questioned, eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Oh, um…" I trailed off, fearing that my cover was blown. "Have you guys seen Rukia? I haven't seen her in a while…"

"I haven't seen Kuchiki-San today…" Mizuiro thought out loud, making me sigh in relief; he had bought my random change of topic. "Have you Ichigo?"

"…Why are you asking me?" Ichigo asked, looking at Mizuiro dumbly as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the window. "If anyone here would know, it'd be Jun. If she doesn't know where she's at then there's no way that I'd know."

"Well, that's true." Mizuiro grinned, walking over and leaning on the wall beside Ichigo. He looked up at the berry with a sly smile. "The three of you guys are always together."

"How should I know?" Ichigo huffed, looking away from Mizuiro and catching my gaze for a second. He huffed once more, turning away. "Since the recent TV incident, people around me are giving me creepy glances. In school, I'm trying to keep away from Rukia and Jun."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, huffing as I glared at the berry. "I haven't noticed any weird looks. Besides, if you want me gone then you could've just said something."

"Idiot, it's not that simple." Ichigo muttered crossing his arms as his cheeks flared up a bit. "Before I knew it, rumors escalated about whether we did it or not."

"It?" I questioned, innocently. I blinked a few times at the incredulous look that the three guys were giving me.

I sat in silence for a few seconds, the gears in my brain turning.

Ohhhh. That 'it'. "Disgusting, you guys!" I exclaimed, jumping up to my full height as my eyes widened and I felt the heat flood to my face.

 **Beep. Beep. Beep.**

I felt my eyes widen as my phone went off. Quickly, I reached down my front pocket, withdrawing it.

My eyes narrowed once I saw the screen.

"Ichi-" I exclaimed, catching myself this time, "Kurosaki! Come with me for a second~!"

I ran over to the strawberry, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and began running out of the classroom.

"Idiot," Ichigo hissed. "Let me go! You know that there are already strange rumors going on about us!"

"I don't care; it's a Hollow!" I muttered, shaking my head as I shot a glare back at him. "We need to get to this one before anything else does!"

"Ichigo! Jun!" Rukia yelled, running over to us as well. "Hurry up!"

Rukia proceeded to grab my sleeve and Ichigo's sleeve, dragging us both behind her. For such a small person, I was amazed that she could drag both of us behind her.

However, as we were being dragged along, Ichigo managed to bump into another student. I was about to apologize to him as we were being pulled away, only to pause as I took in his appearance.

It couldn't really be him… could it?

But, I'd know that dark hair and those glasses anywhere.

Narrowing my eyes towards the figure, I glared at his back.

Of course, he was too 'cool' to have said anything to any of us.

"I really won't forgive you two if it's not here this time!"

"We know; shut up and be quiet!"

Needless to say, the Hollow wasn't there.

Again.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

• • •

"Another false alarm?" I asked, nimbly jumping from the top of a nearby light pole and landing right next to Ichigo. I couldn't feel any trace of the Hollow's reiatsu; I could tell it'd already been taken care of.

The question was: who took care of it?

I noticed Ichigo's body tense up, but just as quickly it relaxed; I'm guessing that he was just shocked by my sudden appearance.

"Yeah, there's no trace of the Hollow again." Ichigo explained, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at Rukia. She was just now dragging his seemingly lifeless body around the street corner.

"Shut up," Rukia ordered, violet orbs narrowing at the strawberry. "Just hurry up and return to your body!"

"You better do something about this!" Ichigo threatened, mid-phase back into his body.

"Are you saying it's my fault?!" Rukia yelled, outraged. "I pass on the orders just as I receive them from the denreishinki."

"So hurry up and fix that!" Ichigo argued back, rolling his eyes.

I froze.

It was that same reiatsu.

It felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

"Fighting among friends?"

Everyone froze at the sound of the voice; I could tell that Rukia and Ichigo were caught off guard by the newcomer. I was just caught off guard at that voice… it sounded familiar as well.

"What a disgrace."

All three of us turned towards the voice of the newcomer, freezing.

Of course.

He was a classmate of ours; that's probably how Ichigo and Rukia would know him. However, I had other connections to him.

The teenager was dressed in stark white clothing, giving him the appearance of a priest of some sort. But the combination of white and blue immediately gave it away to me; after all, it wasn't a well known combination.

"Good evening. Kurosaki-Kun. Kuchiki-San… Kokawa-San." The teenager spoke, glasses glinting in the reflection of a nearby streetlight.

"Who are you?" Ichigo questioned, "That's some weird clothes. You a priest?"

"Ichigo," I hissed, catching his attention. "You should know who he is. He does go to our high school, after all."

"Kurosaki-Kun, you can see spirits, correct?" The newcomer asked, calmly as ever.

"Wha?!" Ichigo asked, growing tense. "What are you talking about?! It's not like such things can be seen..!"

I tensed, my hand hovering near Ankoku-Tatsu as my eyes focused on something in the distance to the right.

"Ah, a new Hollow is here." The guy in white announced, still seeming unfazed by all of this.

Rukia gasped; both of our cell phones began simultaneously beeping. She pulled hers out of her pocket at an amazing speed; her eyes widening as she read the order.

"I-It's really here..! An order!" She exclaimed, her fingers tightening around her cell phone until they became even whiter than usual.

"Which way?!" Ichigo asked, looking in-between Rukia and I. It was like he had already forgotten about our…dear…classmate.

"That way," The dark haired teen spoke, pointing to his left; our right. "You're not at that level of understanding, and yet you call yourself a Shinigami?"

His deep blue eyes glinted, squinting a bit in a glare.

I lightly gasped as I recognized the bracelet that jingled from his wrist, lightly swinging back and forth. The same silver bracelet; adorned with a silver cross charm and circle around its center.

The charm jingled once more, before a spark of reiatsu gathered in each corner of the cross. In the next second, the reiatsu flared and formed what appeared to be a huge bow. He grabbed the center part of the cross, tugging it back; exactly like one would do when aiming with a bow.

He released the reiatsu arrow; it flew at a great speed. The arrow traveled many meters before finally piercing though the skull of the Hollow that recently appeared.

"The signal…" Rukia gaped, eyes wide as she looked down at the screen, "Disappeared..!"

"Wha?!" Ichigo choked out, turning to gaze at his fellow classmate with eyes wide. "What the hell are you?!"

"Ishida Uryuu. Quincy." He introduced himself, then turning his head to stare us down, "I… hate Shinigami."

"What..?" Ichigo asked, not comprehending what he had just said.

"Don't you get it, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Ishida asked as his deep blue eyes narrowed, "What I'm saying is… I hate you."

I glared at Ishida as well, my hand leaving Ankoku-Tatsu's hilt and forming a fist at my side. I could feel my nails digging into the palm of my hand; I was probably cutting my own flesh. But I didn't care. Ishida had no reason to say that..!

"That means you as well, Kokawa Junko." Ishida spoke, his glasses flashing once more in the light before revealing his deep blue eyes. Blue met blue as we glared; although, they were shades on different ends of the blue spectrum, light versus dark. "My own family, even."

"F-Family?!" Ichigo repeated, looking at me with wide eyes.

One look at me was enough to know that Ishida was telling the truth. I don't think Ichigo had ever seen such a fierce glare from me before. The berry froze as he looked at me, blinking a few times before his gaze traveled to the Quincy once more. I wouldn't even meet Ichigo's gaze; I was terrified that he now knew that I was related to people like Ishida.

"Yes, we are. Has she not told you, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Ishida asked, bringing his hand up to raise his glasses. "Kokawa Junko is my cousin. Her Mother and my Father were sister and brother."

"That's right." I spat out, nodding as my glare intensified.

My fists tightened even more, my whole hand turning a pale white. Ichigo looked at me with worry in his eyes, I could tell from my peripheral vision. But I couldn't take it anymore. I just snapped.

"That's right! And why don't you tell them about how she was abandoned by her own family?! Her own flesh and blood!" I screamed, feeling the tears well up in the bottom of my eyes; the stinging feeling was familiar. However, I wouldn't allow myself to cry. Not here; not in front of everyone. "They disowned her because she listened to her heart and married the person that she loved! So what if the man she happened to love was a Shinigami?! That's better than being a Quincy!" I spat, my voice full of venom, as was my glare.

"You could have been a Quincy also." Ishida spoke, glancing down at me. His deep blue eyes took in my Shihakusho and he shook his head. "You, however, chose to become a Shinigami on your own. That's not my fault. You should pay for your own actions, not let others pay them for you."

"Heh," I spat, sarcastically laughing. "The Quincy way just didn't appeal to me. And, let me clarify this for you: it never will!"

"You turned out to be just like your Mother," Ishida chided, shaking his head. "Will you tarnish the family name even more by marrying a Shinigami as well?"

"Shut up!" I seethed, shaking with rage. "I won't have you talking about my Mother like you knew her! You never met her!"

"I might not have ever actually met her, but I have seen pictures. You look just like her, don't you?" He asked, causing my eyes to widen. "Grandfather kept all of those stupid pictures after she died. My own Father even has some as well."

"I don't know why you're telling me that." I shook my head, "It's not like that changes anything. You can't turn back time. They made a mistake that cannot be fixed. Nothing can patch up those old wounds; scars haven't even fully formed."

I thickly swallowed, feeling the searing pain flash across my chest. I hung my head, my eyes being shadowed by my bangs. Scoffing once more, I crossed my arms, my hands still in fists.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving." I said, turning around from them all and beginning to walk away.

"Leaving?" Ichigo questioned, running up to me and placing a firm hand on my shoulder, "Are you sure that's best right now?"

"Ichigo, just let me leave." I whispered, lightly shaking. "Please."

I begged.

I knew I didn't have to, but I did.

Ichigo's cinnamon eyes widened in surprise from the broken look in my own eyes. My eyes were probably becoming bloodshot; I could feel the tears welling up. I met his gaze for a second before breaking it, flash stepping off into the night.

I didn't know how I was going to face them. They know…

They know that I'm a Quincy. They'll both probably hate me now as well, especially when they hear all about the Quincy and their ways.

But... Rukia looked like she didn't know what the term 'Quincy' meant anyway. Either she didn't know or she was just too shocked to find out that I was one.

Sighing, I phased into my apartment.

I guess I'll just have to try and avoid them all. After all, it's for the best.

• • •

"Third place, huh?" Tatsuki asked, patting Orihime on top of her auburn head as we gathered around the large chart posted outside of the classroom. "As usual, you did great."

"Yeah, nice job Orihime!" I nodded, grinning up at the ditzy girl beside me. Orihime meekly laughed; she probably wasn't used to all of the attention and praise from her fellow classmates.

Actually, if we were being honest here, I never would have expected Orihime to come in third out of all of the other Freshman. Although, it did kind of make sense. She could have had book smarts and no street smarts; like me, she probably lacked common sense.

"Amazing~!" Michiru gushed, as she looked at the list in awe. "Orihime is that smart?!"

"She doesn't look it, does she?" Tatsuki asked, pointing at a spaced out Orihime who was grinning. "But, since middle school, this kid could really study."

"Ryo is second place, huh?" Michiru asked, looking at the other names.

"She's got brains and brawns." Chizuru complimented, grinning. "She was also the Freshman representative when we had our entrance ceremony."

"Really?!" Michiru exclaimed in awe once more, "No wonder even the teachers respect her!"

"She is also entering the national competition with her track team." Chizuru explained, as she threw her arms around Orihime with a grin.

"Really? How impressive…" Michiru muttered.

"Well, I'm actually entering the nationals too." Tatsuki said.

"Eh!?" Michiru and Chizuru asked, eyes wide.

"Huh?" Tatsuki asked, "Didn't I tell you guys? In May, I won the competition in Tokyo. Our karate club this year is great! The boy's team is also going to the competition. After all, I, 'The Girl Who Will Win Three Consecutive National Championships,' has joined!"

"Really?" I asked, impressed that the teams had made it that far.

"Yeah!" Tatsuki replied, smiling. "Although, we'd have an even better chance at winning if you joined. After all, we did tie during our last spar."

"What?!" Chizuru and Michiru exclaimed, looking at me with wide eyes.

"You managed to tie with Tatsuki?!" Chizuru questioned, a scared look in her eyes.

"Yeah, although I am kind of rusty. That was my first spar in years." I explained, shrugging my shoulders.

"You must be really good then!" Michiru complimented, looking at me with sparkling eyes. She was always one to look up to those around her.

I weakly laughed, getting cut off by another loud individual. Three guesses who.

"Away with both of you!"

Keigo.

"Noisy as always, eh?" Tatsuki asked, looking over her shoulder at the commotion Keigo and the other guys were making not too far away.

"Ehehe," I nervously laughed, eyeing Ichigo sneakily and hoping that he hadn't seen me yet. I still had to make an escape..! "Yeah, I guess…"

"Look! I didn't know you made it, too!" Orihime exclaimed, pointing up at the poster with a grin on her face.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, turning towards the auburn haired girl to look at what she was pointing to.

"Oh, you mean I'm still on these lists?" I asked, looking as I saw my name printed by the number twenty-seven.

"It's a good thing your name's on there!" Tatsuki said, ruffling my hair as well; exactly the same thing she did to Orihime. I smiled back at the dark haired teen.

I looked around the hallway again; now it was only us and Ichigo.

Now was the perfect time to go..!

"Um, I left my book in the classroom! I'll see you guys later." I said, smiling as I hastily waved goodbye to Tatsuki and Orihime.

Both girls exchanged looks with one another; they knew that something was up. When Ichigo walked by, it him them both.

I was, for some reason, avoiding Kurosaki Ichigo.

It's only a good thing that they didn't know why as well.

• • •

"Urahara," I called, walking into the small shoten as I sat my bag down by the doorway. I walked further into the shoten, coming into the living area and spotting said man. "Need any help today?"

"No, nothing particularly. What's wrong?" Urahara asked, picking up on the change in my demeanor. He always was good at that; seeing the walls that I had built and finding ways around them.

"Nothing's wrong," I spoke, forcing a fake smile. "Silly! What would make you think that something was wrong?"

"Junko." Urahara said, pronouncing my full first name. I knew he was getting serious when he did that. "Something is wrong. Spill it."

"Well-"

"Oh my! Well, if it isn't Kuchiki-San! What's up…ACK?!"

Apparently, Rukia had arrived and threw her phone right at Urahara's head. And we all know how easy it is to hit Urahara on the head.

"What do you mean, 'What's up?!' You didn't answer no matter how many times I called you, so I came to see you here!" Rukia exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips as she glared at Urahara. However, her violet gaze soon traveled to me, causing her eyebrows to rise in confusion. "Jun? What are you doing here?"

"Um, I came to see if Urahara needed any help around his shop." I explained, forcing another fake smile onto my lips.

I had been successful in staying away from both her and Ichigo all day long, only for her to find me at Urahara's. How ironic is that?

"We've been somewhat busy and the store has often been left empty." Urahara said, answering Rukia's previous question as he rested his face in his hand.

"Hey! What happened to that cold-faced, arrogant looking brat?" Jinta asked, appearing in the doorway as soon as Rukia walked further into the room.

"Cold-faced, arrogant looking brat?" I echoed, somewhat confused. "Oh, that cold-faced, arrogant looking brat." I chuckled when his words clicked together in my brain, "You mean Ichigo, right?"

"Yeah! But it doesn't bother me if he's not with either of you two. I hate that guy because of his arrogant look." Jinta explained, crossing his arms. "So it's better if he doesn't come."

"Hey now, Jinta…" Urahara weakly said, waving his fan.

"It's not like Jinta could even do anything to Ichigo anyways." I said, shrugging my shoulders as I looked up at Urahara with a smirk.

"Ichigo is… probably getting caught up in trouble again… right about now." Rukia muttered, sparing a glance at me before looking at Urahara once more. "That's also the reason I came here today. I have something minor I wish to ask."

"What is it?" Urahara asked, tilting his head back a bit so he could stare at Rukia with his piercing gray eyes.

"I want to know if you have ever heard of the word 'Quincy'." Rukia said, phrasing her question as a statement instead of coming right out and asking about it. Slowly she made her way to my side, sitting down and looking at Urahara expectantly.

"Quincy…" Urahara mused, his gaze traveling up to his ceiling as he racked his brain for any memories. "I haven't heard of them for a long time…"

"A long time..?" Rukia questioned.

"Certainly… It has a familiar ring to it." Tessai said, entering the room. "For me, it has already been roughly… two-hundred years that I haven't heard about them."

"Two-hundred years..?" Rukia echoed, eyes wide. "What do you mean? What the heck is a 'Quincy'?!"

Urahara sighed, tilting his gaze towards the floor. "The Quincy were… scattered all over the world at one time. They were relatives of magic hunters who specialized in the war against Hollows. And… it's a clan that was destroyed more than two-hundred years ago."

"Destroyed…" Rukia whispered, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yes. In modern terms, they were humans who, like Kurosaki-San, had the ability to detect the existence of Hollows. And it all started when they began training to confront them… In order to defeat Hollows, the same as Shinigami do." Urahara explained, "However, there is a critical difference between them and Shinigami. And that was the deep ditch that lay between them since ancient times. That is… whether to kill or not to kill the Hollows. It was the Shinigami, who try to purify Hollows with the Zanpakuto and send them to Soul Society versus… The Quincy, who stuck to the thorough killing of Hollows."

My words from last night ran through my mind…

 _"_ _The Quincy way just didn't appeal to me. And, let me clarify this for you: it never will!"_

I was speaking the truth; I couldn't bring myself to see the Quincy way as the correct way. I couldn't condone the murder of the Hollow soul.

"If you think about it, it was a natural human conclusion." Urahara continued. "Hollows devour the souls of humans. 'Why must it be that they, who harm and kill friends and relatives, get sent peacefully to Soul Society?' Whomever thought so could see what they did as reasonable. So they stubbornly tried to kill Hollows. They held the faith that they were avenging their friends. However, that faith accordingly… led to their destruction."

"Their destruction..?" Rukia asked, sneaking a glance at me. Deep violet met icy blue for a fraction of a second. "But, that can't be…"

"Not everyone was destroyed…" I spoke, starting Urahara with my knowledge of the subject. "Those who promised that they wouldn't intentionally fight and kill the Hollows were allowed to walk away with their lives. However… They still desperately believed that what they were doing was right. They passed down their knowledge throughout their generations. They passed it down to their children, who taught their children, and so on. It was like a never ending cycle."

Urahara looked down at me, but I wouldn't meet his gaze. I sighed, drawing my legs to my chest as I wrapped my arms around them. Resting my chin on my knees, I traced the pattern of tatami mats on the floor.

"The Quincy always spoke about their 'honor.' They truly thought that what they did was right. But, down in the bottoms of their hearts… they knew that the Shinigami had been right. However, after their destruction, their hearts grew cold towards the Shinigami. They hated them with their whole being." I explained, sighing once more as I made up my mind to go ahead and come clean. This was something that even Urahara didn't know everything about. "My Mother was a Quincy. She even fought against the Hollow before the Shinigami arrived. Mom fought to protect the ones that she loved. But, the funny thing is, she happened to meet my Dad on a battlefield. He was a Shinigami of one of the highest ranks; he was a Taicho, I'm pretty sure. After she met him, they soon fell for each other. Not that long after their meeting, they married. Because of Mom's love for the Shinigami, her own Father disowned her. He told her that he didn't want anything to do with her. But… I remember visiting him, the night before they died. He tried to make an effort to get to know me… to try and persuade me to become a Quincy. I was too young to fully understand any of it, really, so I didn't pay much attention."

"You eventually chose to become a Shinigami and came to me. Why?" Urahara questioned.

"The Quincy terminate the Hollows. In other words, they kill them completely and destroy their soul. The Shinigami purify the Hollows, sending them to the Soul Society. I thought that the Shinigami way sounded better, more humane. Even if Hollows did kill my parents, and countless sets of foster parents, I don't blame them. They were once normal people. They only stayed attached to this world for too long after they died. Eventually, something happened and they became a Hollow. It's not like they chose for fate to deal them that. They were normal people once, just like all of us were. So as long as the good one's go to the Soul Society and the bad one's get sent to Hell, I'm alright with the Shinigami way." I explained, taking another deep breath before trudging on.

"Mom left a note, explaining all of this to me. I wasn't allowed to open it until I was older… until I was old enough to understand what it spoke of. My parents laid out both paths to me, telling me about each one in case I had to choose one someday. Of course, I eventually had to choose a side; much sooner than I'm sure they would have expected. All of you know that I chose to become a Shinigami. I made that choice."

Surprisingly, everyone was quiet once I got done speaking. I was expecting to be bombarded with questions, but I greatly appreciated their silence. However, not too much sooner, I felt a huge burst of reiatsu.

I tensed, while Urahara looked up at the sky with a thoughtful expression.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Rukia asked, not feeling the reiatsu.

 **Beep. Beep. Beep.**

"A Hollow, huh? And at a time like this?!" Rukia growled, reaching in her pocket to withdraw her phone. "Sorry, Urahara. Let's continue this next-"

Both phones then grew quiet.

I bit my lip in concentration as I took mine out of the pocket and watched the screen. What in the world was going on? Where was all of that reiatsu coming from? It was definitely Hollow reiatsu, not Shinigami reiatsu.

"The signal…disappeared? Already..?" Rukia asked, before shrugging and stashing her phone back into her pocket. "Humph. That Ichigo. He's pretty efficient."

 **Beep. Beep. Beep.**

"Again?!"

Rukia snapped her phone out of her pocket once more, only to find that the beeping had stopped again. The signal disappeared before her very eyes.

"It's gone again? What's up with this? Could it really be broken..?" Rukia asked, holding her phone up to the light and examining it. Nothing looked wrong with it from the surface…

 **Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.**

"Again? I guess it really has broken. It's impossible for Hollows to come out at this…pace..?" Rukia's eyes widened, mine following in suit. The phones definitely had to be broken. There was no way this many Hollows would appear in Karakura at once.

However, more and more dots began appearing on the screen. They all moved around, some disappearing every now and then. But, even so, more were appearing than were disappearing.

"What is this..?" I murmured, listening as the beeping became louder and was now constant; there were no breaks in the sound.

"The number of Hollows… is rapidly increasing!" Rukia exclaimed, meeting my gaze head on. I stood to my feet, our gazes locked as we dashed out of the shoten, side by side.

We didn't get too far.

As soon as my foot hit the pavement outside of the shoten, I froze.

The sky… Something was wrong with the sky! It looked like it was cracking!

Whatever was happening, I was sure that it had something to do with the vast amount of Hollows appearing. Maybe this is why they were continuously appearing..?

"W-What is with the sky..?" Rukia asked, frozen as well right next to me. "What is with that heavy spiritual disturbance? What… What in the world is happening?!"


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

• • •

"What the hell's going on?!"

I seethed, cursing, as I slashed down yet another Hollow.

That makes thirteen since I've left Urahara's not too long ago.

"Just what did you two do; Ichigo and Ishida..?" I muttered, hacking through yet another Hollow that had tried to land a sneak attack on my back.

Rukia seemed like she didn't know what was going on, either. Not that it helped much; I had to leave her to help take out these Hollows. She had assured me that she could take care of herself this time.

But, I still hope that she was alright. Last time she had to face a Hollow, it didn't turn out too well. Remember Shrieker? That was the name of the Hollow that had all of those leech bombs. Rukia couldn't exactly handle it on her own. However, more time has passed since then. So, theoretically, Rukia should have gained at least some of her powers back.

Growling, I jumped on top of a nearby rooftop. It was easier to navigate through the town that way; and it was easier for me to sense Hollow reiatsu if I was up in the air, closer to them.

What about those familiar bursts of reiatsu not too long ago? If I was correct, which I think I am, then they had to belong to Chad and Orihime. I had to curse myself for not realizing that their reiatsu was increasing over time when I first felt them release it. Then again, they were constantly around Ichigo. He just oozed reiatsu, so they could have been affected by that. Not to mention all of the recent incidents that they were involved in themselves…

Now I couldn't really get a good sense on their reiatsu; I couldn't pinpoint their location. I could sense that they were still alive, which was good enough for me at the moment.

Feeling another Hollow nearby, I flash stepped over to the spider like Hollow to take it down. It evaded, but just barely. Grinning, I flash stepped behind its head. Focusing reiatsu to my hand, I aimed at the back of the Hollows head.

"Hado #31: Shakkaho~!"

The familiar red blast of reiatsu launched from my palm, effectively taking the Hollows whole head off; even though I had hastily skipped the proper incantation.

"Phew," I exhaled, bringing the sleeve of my Shihakusho up to wipe the beads of sweat off of my forehead. This was an exhausting work out; I hadn't been pushed to this extreme level of exhaustion since… I didn't really remember when.

I had discarded my cell phone long ago, opting to just sense around for Hollow and terminate them that way. When I just looked at my phone, I'd get lost as I targeted a certain dot. I was much more efficient this way. Besides, I felt another presence nearby… Oh, joy.

"KON?!"

That was Rukia; I'd know her shrieks from anywhere.

But, even so, I flash stepped to where the pair was. It took all I had not to face plant at the scene in front of me when I got there.

It had appeared that Kon had taken over Ichigo's body, yet again, and had tackled Rukia. Rukia, for defense, held both of his wrists, one in each hand, and had her foot under Kon's chin. Not only did that position sound painful, but she was pushing him further back, making it look like a difficult yoga pose that they'd just mastered.

"Ack! It's breaking! Breaking..!" Kon cried out as Rukia bent him back even further. "Are you sure about this..?! This is Ichigo's body! It's breaking! I'm starting to look like a nine mark~!"

"You know, that is probably one of the most provocative poses that you two could choose." I tisked, observing from their side as I stood with my arms crossed. I shook my head, grinning. "Humans can still see you two; now, I wonder what they'd think if they saw you two in this position..?"

Rukia quickly released Kon's wrists, jumping up and trying to look innocent. Kon grinned, happy to be free.

"You saved me, Jun-Kun~!" He gushed, throwing his arms around me in a huge hug. Before I could yell at him to let me go, he picked me up and began twirling me around.

"Kon~!" I wailed, not taking well to all of the spinning from this height. "Put me down!"

To my surprise, he actually listened to me for once. My sandaled feet lightly pressed down onto the concrete of the street, so I blinked and looked up at Kon. He still had me in his arms, but he was staring off at something.

"Oh, good… Somehow this place is also safe and sound…"

I tensed, remembering that voice. Kon's arms tightened around me, feeling like a cage. He was trying to keep me in place. He probably knew what I'd do to Ishida if I managed to free myself.

"What are you talking about?!" Kon yelled, glaring at Ishida. "You planted the seed yourself! You started the fight by trying to kill everyone in town!"

"So, I assumed correctly; you had everything to do with this, didn't you?" I asked, peering over at Ishida. Kon's arms were wrapped around my back, but I could still rotate my neck. I could glare at the Quincy all I wanted to.

"Yes. The one who took over Kurosaki's body, the one holding you in place, said it correctly." Ishida spoke, his eyes meeting mine. "This is the fight that I started. However, I will not allow a single person in this town to die! Even if Kurosaki Ichigo dies… I will protect the people in this town with my life! With him, and you… with Shinigami watching, I will keep protecting everyone from Hollows! If I cannot do that, then this fight has no meaning!"

"This fight holds no meaning anyway," I muttered, glaring. "Look at your own hands. They're bleeding from the constant firing from your bow, aren't they? I think it would be safe for me to say that you can't even kill a Hollow with one strike anymore, can you?"

"That's none of your concern, Kokawa." Ishida coolly spat, his eyes narrowing from behind his glasses.

"What are you going after..?" Rukia asked Ishida, eyebrows knit together.

That's when I sensed it. The Hollow that Kon had 'killed' hadn't really been killed. It had merely been lying there.

"Kon, let me go!" I ordered, looking up at him. He stood there, not comprehending what was happening; he still held me close to him.

Ishida cursed, pulling back his bow again and aiming at the Hollow that was located behind us. Kon slowly turned his head, eyes widening at the tall Hollow that hovered over us. However, lucky for us, Ichigo managed to appear and slice it down.

"I finally found you… Ishida!" Ichigo exclaimed, feet hitting the pavement in front of Kon and I.

"Kurosaki..!" Ishida muttered, eyes narrowing at the strawberry.

"To be honest, I really want to get to the part where I send you to tears, but… Before I get to you, the first thing I've gotta do is trash this guy!"

Everyone blinked in confusion, wondering what Ichigo was talking about. With determination in his cinnamon eyes, Ichigo stomped over towards me and Kon, as we shared a look of confusion with each other.

Ichigo's arms wrapped around my waist, tugging on me until he finally managed to pry me out of Kon's arms. Glaring at the mod-soul, Ichigo tucked me under his arm. He then grabbed a fistful of Kon's shirt, pulling him so that they were eye to eye.

"Kon! What the hell do you think you're doing holding Jun like that?!" Ichigo yelled, shaking his body. "Hey! Tell me, stupid! And another thing! What the hell took you so long to get Rukia's cell phone?!"

"Why are you blowing up at me first?!" Kon screamed, gesturing towards Ishida. "I should come after you blow up at him!"

"Shut up!" Ichigo roared, still shaking Kon. I was swinging from under his other arm, whimpering. I felt like a rag doll being thrown around. When was he going to sit me down?! "It's your fault for not letting go of Jun and not bringing back Rukia's cell phone! Jun has a phone, too! Hers would have worked just as fine! But, no! I wound up running all over town!"

"It's not like I knew any of that!" Kon argued back, "But isn't it a good thing?! Running around a lot relieved your stress!"

"Huh?!" Ichigo blinked, "It's not in my nature to build up stress!"

"Liar!" Kon exclaimed, shoving his finger in Ichigo's face. "What kind of unstressed guy would keep his eyebrows knit together like that?!"

"Um, guys?" I questioned, raising my voice. "Can you let me down?!"

Ichigo either didn't hear my request or he blatantly ignored it.

"You just about dedicated your soul to Rukia! You'd both be of one heart and one mind! If that's so, then you should be able to find her in one shot!" Ichigo argued.

"Yeah! I could find her! Someone like me can find Onee-Chan by scent alone!" Kon argued back, pointing to his nose.

"How… how rude!" Rukia exclaimed, eyes wide as she ran over to us and joined the argument. "My body doesn't smell that bad!"

"Give it a rest, you guys! I am your enemy! This isn't time for infighting!" Ishida yelled, trying to break up our huge argument. However, his words fell upon deaf ears; nobody paid him any attention.

"Of course you don't smell that bad! It's a sweet, heavenly scent! Well, not as much as Jun-Kun's scent, but it's still good!" Kon exclaimed, only for Rukia to glare at him.

"Jerk!" Rukia yelled, punching Kon straight in the nose.

"Gyaaa~!" Kon howled out in pain, clutching his nose. I struggled to get out of Ichigo's grip, managing to succeed because he was in shock that Rukia would actually haul off and punch Kon while he was in his body.

"Rukia, you broke his nose!" I exclaimed, pushing myself up to the tips of my toes as I lightly touched Kon's nose. Blood was gushing out and it looked crooked.

"Agh! Damn you, Rukia! That's my body! Think about that before you punch!" Ichigo yelled, turning towards the dark haired powerless Shinigami. His eyes turned back to watching me try and calm Kon down, before widening, "Look! It's bleeding!"

"Damn you, Ichigo! Don't blame Onee-Chan for this!" Kon exclaimed, glaring up at the strawberry. "This is my fault!"

"You got that right!"

"If you gotta punch someone, punch me!"

"Ogyaa~!"

"Agh! Oh hell, I didn't mean to..!"

"You're always so-"

"Shut the hell up, Kurosaki Ichigo!" Ishida yelled, readying his bow for dramatic effect as he pointed it at said strawberry. "I am your opponent!"

However, because his fingers were all bloody, his grip on his bow slipped.

"Oh no-"

Ichigo was able to sense the arrow flying towards him. With a speed that I didn't know he possessed, he easily deflected the arrow and shattered it with his Zanpakuto.

"That's right. You get it. This is a battle between you and me." Ichigo said, only to gesture to himself with his thumb. "So don't tell me how many Hollows you've defeated and all that crap! We're going to settle this, just you and me! Got it, Ishida?!"

Ishida's silence seemed to do nothing more than irritate Ichigo.

"…Say something, Ishi-"

"Oh! Hey look, Ichigo! What is that?!" Kon asked, wide eyed as he turned around to look at whatever Ishida had his gaze trained on.

"The cracks in the sky," I gasped, "They're gathering to one spot!"

"Wha?" Ichigo asked, confused. He'd never seen anything like that happen before.

"That's not all," Ishida muttered, quickly turning his head to look around. "Look carefully!"

"The Hollows?!" Ichigo exclaimed, "They're all heading for that point!"

"Damn," Ishida cursed, twitching his bloody fingers.

I wasn't expecting Ishida to draw back his bow once more, trying to fire off arrows at the hoard of Hollows. Normally, I would expect for that to happen, but not with his fingers in the shape that they were.

"Quit it, Ishida! There's too many!" Ichigo exclaimed, "After we think of a strategy…"

"What… are you afraid, Kurosaki?" Ishida questioned, releasing another arrow. This arrow successfully pierced a Hollow; however, it didn't affect any of the others. They were all still converging at the crack in the sky.

"Jerk," Ichigo seethed, angered at the Quincy.

"If you're afraid, you can watch from here! I will win this battle!" Ishida yelled, taking to running straight towards the convergence point in the sky. "Over here, you Hollows! The last Quincy, Ishida Uryuu, is your opponent!"

"The last Quincy?" Ichigo asked, turning to look at me. "What's he saying?"

"Ishida is referring to the fall of the Quincy." I explained, "Even though it happened well over two-hundred years ago."

"Wha..?!" Ichigo questioned, gaping at me.

"All of the surviving Quincy hate Shinigami." I said, crossing my arms. "Well, I should say most, 'cause I'm excluded from them. But the source of that hatred is their two-hundred year old fall. The Quincy of two-hundred years ago were destroyed by Shinigami hands."

Ichigo's eyes widened dramatically. I shook my head, sighing.

"Don't look so surprised. It was a difficult choice for the Shinigami. They… had to wipe out the Quincy." Rukia added in, trying to stick up for the Shinigami. "That was in order to prevent the destruction of the world."

"Shinigami…destroyed the Quincy?" Ichigo asked, looking back and forth between Rukia and me, a dumbfounded look on his face.

"That's right. There were no other options." Rukia clarified, "It was in order to prevent the destruction of the world. In Soul Society, those who belong to the order of Shinigami are commonly called 'balancers.' The amount of souls in this world and in Soul Society are constantly being evened out. Do you know why? If that is not done, the balance between the two worlds will collapse. It will beckon their mutual destruction! Our jobs as Shinigami are to regulate the amount of souls in both worlds. Souls released from Soul Society are watched over by Shinigami and born as living things in this world. Souls that die in this world are sent back to Soul Society by Shinigami. Hollows are no exception to that. And the whole cycle of souls has been entrusted to the Shinigami, Soul Society knew the quantity of souls, and they could make adjustments with this world. However, the Quincy appeared then."

I sighed, sadly shaking my head and closing my eyes. I felt Ichigo place a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I didn't move to shake him off. I just stood there in silence as I listened to this story once more.

"The Quincy completely extinguish Hollows! That means that souls who come to reality don't return to soul society! The souls would increase only on the side of reality! Meaning that the world inclines toward the side of reality… and Soul Society will spill over into reality! A chaos that mixes life and death. In other words, the destruction of the world. Since they first confirmed the existence of the Quincy, many years passed as Soul Society continued to appeal to them. 'Let the Shinigami cope with all the Hollows,' they said. However, due to their obstinacy, Quincy's didn't try to accept that. As this was going on, the Quincy continued to grow in number. The cycle of souls continued to be in disarray. It was moving towards impending world destruction. And so, the decision was made to wipe out the Quincy."

Rolling my eyes, I made up my mind; I'd heard enough.

I brought my hand up to rest on Ichigo's, which was still sitting on my shoulder. I pat it, gaining his attention. "You can stay here and listen further, but I'm going to go ahead. I have to make sure that idiot Ishida doesn't go and kill himself."

"I'll go with you." Ichigo responded, looking deep into my eyes; probably looking for any trace of…depression? Sadness? I'm not sure what he was looking for, but he seemed satisfied enough.

"Yeah; let's go kick some sense into that Quincy…" I muttered, crossing my arms and glaring in the direction that Ishida had taken off in.

Ichigo actually laughed at my words, shaking his head.

Hey, if his family was dysfunctional, then mine could be dysfunctional, too!

"Yeah; let's go kick Ishida's ass."

Ichigo grabbed my wrist, his fingers able to completely circle around my limb as he pulled me with him. I laughed at his eagerness; I would easily let him beat some sense into Ishida.

Neither of us noticed when his hand slipped down my wrist, connecting us hand to hand.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

• • •

"ISHIDA!"

Said Quincy blinked, jumping a bit in surprise as Ichigo yelled his name. He lowered his bow, turning to glance at our advancing forms.

Ishida almost face faulted.

Of course, I couldn't really blame him.

As Ichigo and I ran to find the Quincy, we had kind of had a nice collection of Hollows following us. We didn't want to stop and fight them until we found Ishida; if we did, it'd only slow us down. Besides, we didn't know what kind of shape Ishida was even in. He had to have been in pain from shooting off so many arrows; especially if his bloody fingers were any indication.

"Ahh~!" I exclaimed, eyes widening as the Hollows jumped in front of me and Ichigo, cutting us off from Ishida. My eyes narrowed in anger; didn't they know they were going to be sliced in half?

Ichigo and I both withdrew our Zanpakuto, blindly slashing at the numerous Hollows that had appeared around us. It didn't take long until they all fell to the ground in a heap.

"ISHIDA!" Ichigo roared once more, climbing on top of a fallen Hollow before it began to disintegrate. "I heard about your 'reason for fighting!' Whether the Shinigami are right, or the Quincy are right, I don't know about that stuff and I don't plan on saying anything about it! But there is one thing I understand!" Ichigo exclaimed, dramatically raising a finger to point straight at said Quincy boy. "Ishida! Your way of doing things is-"

"Old news." Ishida interrupted.

"Huh?" Strawberry asked, blank look on his face. It was almost as if he didn't believe that Ishida would cut him off mid-rant.

"I'm not interested in the fall of the Quincy two-hundred years ago." Ishida spoke, pushing up his glasses. "I've only heard about that from my Sensei. To me, it's simply an old tale. Sorry, but I'm not the kind of overly sympathetic person who could use that reason to antagonize you Shinigami."

Ishida shot down a Hollow that was approaching him from behind. His eyes caught mine.

"As for the story of their fall, I felt that the Shinigami were probably right. Until my Sensei died right before my eyes. As the last remaining survivor of the Quincy, the Shinigami had Sensei under strict watch. However, Sensei kept appealing to those Shinigami about the necessity of the Quincy. He groped towards working together to fight." Ishida explained, still shooting arrows at the surrounding Hollows while Ichigo and I stood there and listened to the tale. "In peacetime, the Shinigami in Soul Society would be late in dealing with Hollows in this world. He said that it's important to have people like us in this world that can keep an eye out and deal with Hollows quickly. But Shinigami always gave him the same reply: 'Don't interfere with our work.' And then, Sensei died."

Sensei… I thought, frowning.

By Sensei…did he mean Grandfather?

Ishida couldn't mean Grandfather. Grandfather was the one who disowned my own Mother for marrying a Shinigami. Why would he try to appeal to the Shinigami? It just didn't make sense. It couldn't be the same man. Was it his father, then?

"His enemies on that day were five huge Hollows. Without Shinigami to protect him, it was obvious that he couldn't fight them. And, as expected, the Shinigami were late in handling it. When they came to defeat the Hollows, it was two hours after Sensei began fighting. One hour had passed since Sensei's death."

The Shinigami were that late?

For what reason? That wasn't normal. Usually Shinigami responded in a timely manner. At least, that's what I had been told.

"In the end, Sensei's ideals never reached the Shinigami. If Shinigami had acknowledged Sensei's opinion, if they acknowledged the strength of the Quincy, they would have acted faster to come save him." Ishida clutched his fist at his side, "It could have ended without Sensei's death. Do you understand, Kurosaki Ichigo? In front of you, a Shinigami, I must prove the strength of the Quincy!"

"What about Jun, then?" Ichigo questioned, a startled look on his face. "She's a Shinigami, too. Why did you target me?"

"Kokawa Junko is my cousin. We share the same blood. Quincy blood runs throughout her veins." Ishida explained, glasses flashing in my direction. "How she managed to become a Shinigami, I do not know. Kokawa has ties with the Quincy; you, Kurosaki Ichigo, do not."

I sighed, shaking my head.

I got the feeling that it wasn't just because of that; it was probably because I was a female, while Ishida was male. Judging from his personality, Ishida seemed like the type that wouldn't fight a female if his life depended on it.

"In this fight, I do not wish for either of your help." Ishida said, turning away from us as he surveyed the remaining Hollow around us. "You and I are Shinigami and Quincy. And something in-between. I know that our views are polar opposite. If you think my views are wrong, you are welcome to watch from here. I will simply prove my strength."

"…You…" Ichigo seethed, teeth grinding together. "Your story is too long!"

Running towards the Quincy, Ichigo swiftly landed a nice kick to the back of his head. I laughed as Ishida's head rammed into a nearby Hollow, leaving both of them clutching their heads.

"Wha… W-W-What are you doing!?" Ishida questioned, looking at Ichigo like he had grown a second head.

"Shut up!" Ichigo yelled, kicking the Quincy once more. "It doesn't make any sense! Your story was so long that I forgot the first half! But in fact, your Sensei's greatest wish… It wasn't about the Shinigami acknowledging the strength of the Quincy! It was about working along with the Shinigami, wasn't it!?" Ichigo asked, clutching Ishida by his collar so that they were eye to eye. "So if you won't do that now, when will you!? Shinigami and Quincy are exact opposites! That's just fine! In a fight against a large number of enemies… the best way to go about it is back to back!"

Ichigo let go of Ishida, walking past him to that he was facing the other direction. I sighed, shaking my head. Did they both have to be so dramatic?

"Do you mean form a united front?" Ishida asked, "Quincy and Shinigami?!"

"Would there be any other meaning?" Ichigo asked, rolling his eyes.

"Don't say such nonsense. For a Shinigami and Quincy to work together is-"

"You're still talking about that?!" Ichigo asked, grabbing Ishida's shoulder as he sent a glare towards the Quincy.

The strawberry's cinnamon eyes narrowed as he shoved Ishida down, swiping at a Hollow that had planned a sneak attack on the two of them. A second Hollow appeared behind Ichigo, causing Ishida to summon his bow back and shoot it with an arrow.

"That's right!" Ichigo said, a smirk tugging on his lips.

I rolled my eyes, flash stepping in front of the two as yet another Hollow tried to attack the pair. Swinging down Ankoku-Tatsu with much more force than necessary, I easily split the head in two. "Idiots…"

"You finally joining us then, Jun?" Ichigo asked, shooting his smirk in my direction.

"Don't misunderstand, Kurosaki Ichigo." Ishida spoke up, "If I hadn't shot that Hollow, I would have been killed! It's not like I'm cooperating with the two of you."

"That's good enough!" Ichigo exclaimed, cinnamon eyes scanning the area once more.

"…What…?!" Ishida asked, confused by Ichigo's words. Obviously, he didn't know Ichigo as well as he thought it did. If he did know Ichigo as well as I did, he'd know that he should always expect the unexpected. Ichigo always managed to surprise me.

"It's do or die. But, it's hard to do alone. So we have no choice! We'll all work together!" Ichigo explained. "That should be good enough as a reason to work together..!"

"Even if it is for just this once," I nodded, smirking as well.

Ichigo nodded, shooting me another glimpse of his smirk. Then he turned his gaze towards Ishida, "…I'm originally a human. Honestly, I don't know much about Shinigami. I don't really hold much pride for this job, either. It's just that I want to defeat Hollows, that's all."

"Why?" Ishida asked, looking over his shoulder at Ichigo who had looked away once more.

"My Mother was killed by a Hollow." Ichigo explained, shocking even myself. Did he really just speak of that so freely? "Do I want to defeat Hollows for that reason? If you ask that, it's obviously correct. But it's not just that. What's it called? I…don't want to make more of my kind. Mom was killed by a Hollow, my Dad and sisters went through hard times. I don't think we need that anymore."

Ichigo sliced though a Hollow.

"I don't want to see that anymore. That's what I think." Ichigo stood up straight once more, hand tightening on the hilt of his Zanpakuto. "I'm not Superman, so I can't say anything big like I'll protect everyone on Earth. I'm not a modest guy who will say it's enough if I can protect as many people as my two hands can handle either. I want to protect…a mountain load of people."

Ichigo's eyes darted to my face for a second, before landing on Ishida as his normal scowl returned to his face.

"Ishida, no matter what kind of reason you've got, your approach to this fight is a way which gets that mountain load of people caught up in it. Quit screwing around. I won't forgive you. But this isn't the time to talk about that. There's a lot of the enemy, y'know. It's do or die. I've got no choice! I don't want to partner with you either, but I will! I'll leave punching you for later! How about you?"

Ishida aimed at a Hollow behind Ichigo, firing an arrow. However, it was much too close for my comfort; the arrow grazed Ichigo's cheek and managed to cut him a bit.

"Geeze… Your story is rather long, too. But I understand completely. In brief, if either of us do not survive here… it means we'll lose the one we're going to beat up!"

"Fantastic!" The strawberry exclaimed, smirking once more. "I'll make you cry afterwards!"

"By all means." Ishida said, pulling back his bow once more, "If you survive, that is!"

"What about you, Jun?" Ichigo called over his shoulder; the strawberry had realized that I'd been quiet for way too long.

Shrugging my shoulders, I sighed. I exchanged glances between the strawberry and the archer before rolling my eyes.

"Do I really have to tell a drawn out story like the two of you?" I asked, scoffing and crossing my arms. "You both know about me; I don't see the need to verbally express my alliance. However, I will say that I'll fight with anyone willing to work together. I value teamwork above everything else."

"Che," Ichigo scoffed, rolling his cinnamon eyes. "You always make drawn out stories."

"Do not!" I argued back, glaring at the berry head.

"Do too."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Guys! Shut up!" Ishida exclaimed, glaring at both of us. "If you'd be quiet you'd notice that there's something strange with the Hollows!"

"Huh? Strange?" Ichigo questioned, "What do you mean, Ishida?"

"They're all looking up at the sky… It's as if they're praying to something." Ishida mused, as we glanced around at the Hollows around us.

Indeed, they were all gazing up at the sky. And the ones with arms had those extended towards it, as well. I had never seen anything like this before, so I was just as puzzled as the others.

 **CRACK~!**

Oooh, cracking cannot be good.

I glanced up towards the sky, wincing as I saw the sky begin to crack. I gasped in horror as fingers ripped through the crack, prying it open.

Long, bony hands forced the large fissure to open further. Its long nails allowed it to pierce through to our world. A huge white mask stared down at us all; or more specifically, at the Hollows around us. Its beady eyes shown down at us, shining past its long and pointed nose.

"Wha… What is that!?" Ichigo asked, looking up at the creature. "It… It's enormous! That's a Hollow, too?!"

"H…How would I know?!" Ishida cried out in surprise, eyes wide.

Both men turned their attention towards me, silently asking if I knew what it was. However, I was too busy staring up at the sky with a horrified look on my face to notice them.

"Jun..?" Ichigo questioned, looking at me.

Still, I gave no response.

"Jun?"

Again, no response.

"Jun!"

This time, the strawberry grabbed a hold of my shoulders and vigorously shook me. I blinked once more, tearing my eyes away from the huge Hollow as I glared at the carrot top in front of me.

"What was that for, you jerk?!" I bellowed, raising my hands up to his shoulders as I shook him back. "That doesn't feel too great now, does it?!"

"Well, I wouldn't have shook you if you would have just answered my question!"

"What question was that?"

Both men both looked at me with incredulous expressions.

"What?" I snapped, placing my hands on my hips. "I was just in shock from seeing this thing! I've only read about Menos Grande from textbooks; I haven't seen one of those things before!"

"Now that we know what it's called, what do we do!?" Ishida asked, "We can't fight that thing while also taking on the Hollows surrounding us!"

"Shut up!" Ichigo yelled, shaking his head. "In any case, that's all we can do!"

"What's up with that?!" Ishida argued, "You were the one who said earlier to think of a strategy!"

"It's surprising how long you hold a grudge! That was then, this is now!"

"We don't have time to worry about that!"

Man, talk about fighting like an old married couple.

"Guys, they're coming!" I said, readying Ankoku-Tatsu as the Hollows around us began to lurch forward.

Ichigo cursed, albeit he readied his Zanpakuto as well. Although it was unnecessary; something else had taken down the Hollow. Something that was like a mix between a cannon and a machine gun shot down the Hollow. I only knew one person who wielded a weapon like that.

"Ururu..?" I questioned, turning around until I caught sight of the small dark haired girl.

"H-Hello." Ururu stuttered, lightly bowing as best as she could as she held onto her smoking weapon.

"Kurosaki-San~! We've come to the rescue!" Urahara chimed in, placing a hand on Ururu's head as he smiled at us all.

"You're… Jun's teacher, the Geta-Boshi guy?!" Ichigo questioned, looking at Urahara with wide eyes.

"Urahara?" I questioned, watching as he dispatched his group to fend of the Hollows.

Jinta smashed them with his strange looking baseball bat.

Ururu continued to shoot them with her strange gun…thing.

Tessai managed to use brute strength to smash their heads in.

All in all, it was quite a sight to see.

"So…strong!" Ishida muttered, watching the destruction take place. "The amount of Hollows is quickly decreasing..!"

"Geta-Boshi..? Why are you here?" Ichigo asked, still not calling Urahara by his name. "Why do you show up wherever I go…?!"

"I told you just now. 'We've come to the rescue~!' I said." Urahara mused, fanning himself as he stood in the middle of the destruction. "We'll take on the surrounding small fry. In order for you, Kurosaki-San, to concentrate on fighting that one. Look. This isn't time for idle chit-chat."

Urahara pointed towards the Menos, making all of us gaze at it in wonder.

"It's…It's coming out!" Ichigo exclaimed, watching in horror as it began to force its way through into our world.

At his words, the Hollows around us jumped into the air. However, they weren't trying to attack us or evade our attacks; they were headed towards the Menos!

A creaking sound reverberated through the air as the Menos unhinged its jaw. In a flash, its tongue darted out and pierced though all of the Hollows in the air. Reeling in its catch, the Menos crunched down on all of the remaining Hollows; blood spurt out from its mouth, as well as a few spare arms and legs.

"Wha…" Ishida stuttered, eyes wide. "It's eating… its fellow Hollows!"

Ichigo began to laugh, causing me to look over at the strawberry with worry. That was a mistake on my part.

I lowered my guard.

I didn't feel Urahara sneak up.

I certainly didn't expect him to place such a high level binding spell on me, either. Before I could cripple to the ground, Urahara caught me in his arms. He smiled down at me, flash stepping us in front of Rukia.

I wanted to warn her, to tell her to immediately run and help Ichigo, but I couldn't utter a single syllable. It took her too long to realize that I was captured in a binding spell; he soon placed her under one as well.

"Please watch quietly. This battle is a crucial battle." Urahara explained, placing me down on the ground beside Rukia. I could only stare at her from the corner of my eyes. "As crucial to you, Kuchiki-San, as it will be for him."

I wanted to scream so badly. I wanted to beat Urahara to a bloody pulp; even if that was almost impossible. Even if I hadn't been placed under his binding spell, I still wouldn't come close to injuring him.

Urahara was on a completely different level.

Needless to say, I was forced to sit and watch Ichigo battle the Menos. My eyes were trained straight ahead; I couldn't blink or move them. It was useless to even try.

I watched as Ichigo carelessly ran in and tried to cut the Menos' leg. He was sent flying back, cracking open his head.

I watched as Ishida put his hand on Ichigo's Zanpakuto and his bow grew at least ten times bigger.

I wanted to laugh when Ishida had somehow convinced Ichigo to tie his Zanpakuto to his head; only to want to scream in frustration as Ichigo ripped his Zanpakuto back and ran towards the Menos Grande by himself.

By himself!

I wanted to cry out in desperation as I felt the Menos Grande's reiatsu spike; cero! I wanted to scream out to him to run, but I couldn't. There was no way that Ichigo could survive a head on cero attack… So why was he still running straight towards the Menos?!

It was just pure luck that he managed to repel the cero. Right? It was just luck that Ichigo's reiatsu managed to spike so he could counter the attack. It was just luck that allowed him to wound a Menos Grande.

After all, even Taicho's had trouble dispelling Menos Grande.

Rukia and I couldn't even brace ourselves as the wind picked up from Ichigo's attack. We both watched in amazement as the Menos retreated.

Everything seemed fine; the Menos retreated and the sky began trying to repair from the cracks. I could feel my muscles wanting to relax in relief, but they were bound in their position.

Ichigo fell. His reiatsu spiked and became unstable.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. I swore my heart was about to pound out of my chest. This wasn't funny..! Urahara! He needs to do something! …Anything!

Ishida stepped up, rapidly firing off arrows. After a while, it seemed as if it was actually working. I could feel the unstable reiatsu diminish; however, it wasn't without its consequences. Ishida's arms were being battered by the reiatsu, seeming to rip away his flesh on his arms. Luckily, he managed to stabilize Ichigo's reiatsu.

I felt the binding spell dissipate. Why now?

"The Hollow appeared…then got defeated…" Rukia muttered, still seated on the ground next to me. "This news… It must already be at Soul Society… Ichigo…"

"C'mon, let's follow them!" Tessai ordered, as he ran off. Ururu and Jinta followed him.

"I'll leave that crack in the sky for you to fix!" Urahara called to Tessai.

"No problem!" The giant called over his shoulder, running straight towards Ichigo and Ishida.

We had to be on guard.

Soul Society would know about this soon.

We were in trouble.

"Junko," Urahara spoke, catching my attention as Rukia and I began to run towards Ichigo and Ishida. "Please stop by the shoten later on tonight."

"Is there any particular reason why I should stop by?" I asked, stopping and looking at Urahara from across my shoulder.

Urahara hid his face behind his fan, causing me to roll my eyes.

"You'll see then, Jun-Kun~!"

"Yeah, yeah." I nodded, waving as I took off.

It was suspicious, but Urahara himself is suspicious.

Urahara has never given me a reason to doubt him. I trust him with my life. So, I guess this would be no different.

Shrugging to myself as I cast of my suspicions, I grinned as I ran to the group of people waiting for me.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

• • •

"There's really not a reason for you to be so upset." Ichigo tried reasoning with me, only to roll his eyes as I shot him a glare.

"What are you talking about? Of course there's a reason for me to be upset!" I argued back, crossing my arms as I glared at the sidewalk below my sneakers. "I try to be nice, for once, and it gets thrown back at my face!"

"It's not my fault!" Ichigo exclaimed, looking like I had just blamed him.

Sighing, I shook my head.

"I know it's not your fault; I never said it was." I uncrossed my arms so I could run a hand through my teased hair. "I just wish that it would've ended differently."

"Ishida's a jerk," Ichigo muttered, "What else did you expect?"

"Che," I scoffed. "I expected him to be a little bit more friendly. Especially towards his own family. I mean, I offered to heal him. And what did he do? Refuse!"

"Like I said earlier, Ishida's a jerk." The strawberry shrugged.

"I know, I know." I replied, shaking my head. "I guess there's too big of a rift between us. After all, I didn't even really know him when I was younger. And I think the fact that I'm a Shinigami still repulses him."

"He didn't seem like he blamed the Shinigami for everything." Ichigo reasoned once more, stuffing his hands in his pocket as his cinnamon like eyes bore into my own. "You'll probably be able to work though this…eventually."

"Thanks, Ichigo." I muttered, lowering my gaze.

It was silent for a few minutes after that as we made our way home.

"Hey, Ichigo?" I asked, attempting to break the comfortable silence. This was really bugging me, and I wanted to get it off of my chest.

"Yeah?" Ichigo questioned, looking down at me.

"Are you…disgusted…by the fact that I'm a Quincy?" I asked, bringing a hand up and inspecting it. Slowly I curled my fingers to form a fist; I could feel my nails digging into the flesh of my palm.

"Idiot," The strawberry scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Huh?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"You being a Quincy doesn't change anything." He explained, cutting his eyes downward so he was staring at me. "You've been a Quincy ever since you were born. You were a Quincy when I met you. You're still you. So, me knowing that you're a Quincy doesn't change anything."

For some reason, I felt my cheeks warm up.

I quickly looked away, hoping to hide the warmth that I felt on my cheeks. That and the smile that I'm sure was tugging on my lips.

"Thanks," I whispered, hastily biting my lip.

"For what?" Ichigo asked, this time it was his turn to be confused.

"Nothing, never mind." I said, shaking my head. I blinked, realizing something. Quickly, I spun around on my heel. "I'll see you later!"

"Wha-?! Where are you going?" The strawberry questioned.

"You'll know sooner or later! I'll see you tomorrow morning!" I called over my shoulder, waving at the berry head.

"Whatever," I heard Ichigo mutter, causing me to giggle.

That idiot; I was doing this for him, after all.

• • •

"Jun-Chan~!" Orihime squealed, tightly hugging me to her. "It's so cute~!"

"Haha, thanks." I meekly responded, trying to claw my way out of her clutches. I swear, her hugs were just like the ones that I would get from Rangiku-Fukutaicho!

"Well, Orihime's right." Tatsuki nodded, grinning as she watched me struggle. "Why didn't you tell us that you were getting your lip pierced?"

"I thought I would surprise you guys!" I said, biting my lip on the other side. It was still tender from getting it pierced yesterday afternoon. Besides, I usually bit my lip when I fibbed; I really didn't trust telling them the reason why I decided to get my new piercing.

They'd read so much more into it if I told them I got it because of Ichigo.

The good thing is, I don't think that Ichigo knows that it was for him. Rukia might know, or suspect it, at the most. Rukia knew that I get a piercing for every person that I care about and trust. I even have the tragus [the little tough piece of cartilage that sticks out near your ear canal] of my left ear pierced for her.

"Okay, Orihime." Tatsuki said, placing her hand on Orihime's shoulder, "I think Jun's had enough of hug time. Let's go eat lunch."

"Yeah! That sounds great!" Orihime mused, instantly releasing me and running back towards her desk so she could grab her bento. "And it's such a nice day outside! We should all eat together!"

"Sure, that sounds like a good idea." I said, shrugging as I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder. Inside was a shake that I had made for lunch; I didn't trust eating solid food right after getting my piercing. I also had mouthwash, which was necessary after eating or drinking anything.

Orihime beamed, quickly gathering the rest of the girls from our class that we always hung out with. In the end, it was me, Tatsuki, Orihime, Michiru, Chizuru, Ryo, and Mahana.

"Wait, where's Rukia?" I asked, looking around for the violet eyed powerless Shinigami. It was in vain; I couldn't find a trace of her anywhere.

"She's probably outside already." Mahana shrugged, "Let's go and check."

Sighing once we got outside, I looked around for any trace of Rukia. Now was a time when I wished that Urahara wouldn't mess with my reiatsu. He had wanted me to come over last night to tweak the amount once again. This time, he adjusted the limiter. I had even less reiatsu to work with now. I could barely even sense my own reiatsu, let alone anyone else's.

"Ah! Found her, she's over here!" Mahana yelled, pointing up at the tree that we were going to eat under. "Kuchiki! Wanna go eat lunch together?"

Rukia turned around from her perch on a tree branch, looking down at all of us. "Ah, okay."

"Great! Get down here and we'll find somewhere to settle down!" I exclaimed, beaming up at the dark haired girl. Rukia smiled back, but I could tell that it didn't meet her eyes; it was definitely fake.

Once Rukia jumped down from the tree, we all huddled around under its shade. Plopping down, we grinned at each other as everyone began taking out their lunches.

As usual, Orihime had her own homemade lunch. Again, she offered for everyone to try it, but everyone politely declined.

"What about you, Jun-Chan?" Orihime asked, turning towards me. "Today's lunch is called 'Castella Sandwich~!' It's Castella sponge cake with bean jelly! It's the ultimate for sweet lovers!"

Why? Well, I'd usually try her weird food combinations. Of course they mainly sounded disgusting, but they were actually quite good; most of the time. She rarely combined something that I deemed inedible. And Orihime knew that I had a sweet tooth.

"Not today, Orihime." I said, laughing a bit at her crestfallen look. "It looks fine, but I'm not pressing my luck and eating solid foods. That's why I just brought a shake."

"You can't eat solid foods?" Michiru asked, eyebrow furrowed as she took a bite out of one of her rice balls.

"Well, I probably could. I think it's still a bit swollen and sore, so I don't wanna press my luck." I explained, shrugging as I took a sip from my fruit shake.

"Really? Then why go through all the trouble of getting it pierced?" Chizuru asked, stealing glances at Orihime making a mess while eating her latest creation.

"It's still worth it. Remember when you guys asked me why I was all pierced when I first got here? I pierce myself so I can remember all of the people that I care about." I said, smiling.

"Oh, so who convinced you to get your lip pierced?" Tatsuki asked, grinning.

"Ehehe, that's a long story." I nervously giggled. "Besides, you guys would read way too much into it."

While Tatsuki and Orihime tried to pry the name from me, Mahana had an evil glint in her eyes. Smirking she nodded as she exchanged glances with Michiru, who looked nervous.

"Hey, Rukia!" Mahana shouted, getting the dark haired girls attention. "Do you…like Ichigo?"

Rukia, before being asked that question, was drinking from her juice box; which she now knew how to open!

"Pfft~!" Rukia spat out her drink, looking like a fountain. The juice formed the shape of a negative parabola, and made little rainbow prisms from where it caught the sunlight. I was just glad that nobody was sitting on her left side; they would've gotten drenched. From her right side, I was laughing at the look on her face. "What?"

"Well, we were wondering what exactly your relationship with Ichigo is?" Mahana asked, then taking a bite out of the sub sandwich that she had bought for lunch.

"Relationship…?" Rukia muttered, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "He's a friend…"

"Mahana!" Michiru chided, turning towards her friend. "How can you ask her so bluntly like that?!"

"What are you talking about? You guys were curious about it, so I asked!" The curly haired girl argued back, defending herself.

"I…I'm not curious at all!" Michiru huffed, looking away from everyone because she couldn't look at us with a straight face.

"You would say that." Chizuru said, rolling her eyes from behind her glasses.

"Michiru, I thought you hated Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked, taking a bite out of her own rice ball.

"You do?" Orihime asked, her eyes snapping to the flustered girl.

"N-No!" Michiru exclaimed, wildly waving her hands back and forth as her face grew red from embarrassment. "It's not that I hate him, Orihime! It's just that his face is a bit scary looking..!"

"Really? I think he has an interesting face." Orihime spoke up, still munching on her lunch.

"I don't care about you guys and your interests!" Chizuru exclaimed, tossing her arm around Orihime's shoulder as she pulled the poor auburn haired girl closer to her. "You guys have nothing to do with Rukia and Ichigo's private matters! The only ones who should be concerned are me, Orihime, and Jun!" Chizuru explained, throwing her other arm over my shoulder and pulling me close as well.

I blinked in surprise; how did I get pulled into this?

"I understand why Orihime should be concerned… but why you and Jun?" Tatsuki asked, glaring at the red head.

Chizuru just rolled her eyes, standing up and looking determined. Placing her hands on her hips, she smirked. "Isn't it obvious? If Rukia stakes a claim on Ichigo and Jun gets jealous and fights back for her man… there's nothing in the way between Orihime and me!"

My mouth literally hung open at that accusation.

Me? Get jealous and fight for Ichigo if Rukia 'stakes a claim' on him?

Ha!

"So, fight Rukia!" Chizuru gushed, rushing over to the violet eyed girl and grabbing both of her hands. "I'll cheer for you, but…"

I gaped in surprise as Chizuru appeared in front of me this time, grabbing both of my hands in hers just like she had done with Rukia. "Jun, I'll really be rooting for you! You and Ichigo have that same vibe!" Releasing one of my hands, she held it up in the air like she was the referee declaring me the winner of a wrestling match. "Then Orihime will be… will be..!"

"Well?! What is your relationship with him?!" Mahana asked, drawing the attention back to her and Rukia. "Ever since you came, you've always been around Ichigo! Jun, you have too! What exactly are you guys to each other?!"  
"Ichigo is…" Rukia muttered and then forced a smile on her face. "Just a friend!"

Everyone turned to look at her with blank faces.

"What? Really?" Chizuru asked, seeming a bit disappointed.

"Yep."

"No love affair at all?" Mahana asked, eyes wide.

"Yep."

"Not even a little bit?" Michiru asked.

"Yep! Not even a little bit, pinky swear!" Rukia exclaimed, smiling.

"Really..? Geeze, how disappointing!" Orihime sighed, crossing her arms under her chest as she pouted. "If Rukia liked Ichigo too, then us girls would win two against one! And then if Jun fought for him, that would me that she liked him, too! Then it'd be three against one! And pretty soon everyone else would start to like him, too!"

"Um… well, you see, Orihime…? The number of people is too many to be rational… It's also a bit heartless… Love isn't supposed to be unequal like that… Do you understand?" Tatsuki asked, weakly trying to talk some sense into the poor princess. "Please try to give me your best answer, okay?"

Orihime stared at Tatsuki, eyes looking wide and dull. It was clear that she didn't understand a work Tatsuki was saying.

"Ah! I got it!" Chizuru exclaimed, her hand forming a fist from her determination. "Altogether it's four points, right?! With four points, and three women on one side, then the other side definitely loses! The result would be three points go to women and one point goes to men; a women's victory!"

"Are those the only types of thoughts you have going through your mind?!" Tatsuki yelled, glaring at the red head. Her hands seemed to transform into claws and I could sense her bloodlust growing. Tatsuki was frightening when she was angry.

"Augh! If it really happens, what am I going to do?! I better get a hold of a camera and set it up before it starts, shouldn't I?!" Chizuru exclaimed to herself, only to be kicked down to the ground by an enraged Tatsuki.

"Shut up!" Tatsuki seethed, further kicking the red head.

"Wait!" Chizuru gushed, grinning even though she was being kicked, "If Ichigo is out of the picture, then in his place-"

"Die! Die! Just die!" Tatsuki seethed, kicking her with even more force. "Just die, you perverted whore!"

"Oh, I know!" Orihime exclaimed, turning towards Rukia and I. "I'll invent a new concoction with bean jam! Then we'll all eat it together, all right?"

"Sounds great, Orihime." I nodded smiling.

"Err… I'll think about it." Rukia replied, sheepishly smiling.

I cocked my head to the side at her answer; something seemed off about her all day today. What was wrong with her?

"Huh? Not the same answer again!" Orihime said, fussing over Rukia. "Kuchiki-San keeps on saying, 'I'll think about it.'"

"Oh, really?" Rukia answered, uneasily.

"Yes! That's the same answer you gave me this morning when I invited you to the fireworks festival!" Orihime chided, shaking her finger in the powerless Shinigami's face.

"Ah! That's right!" I exclaimed, getting the auburn haired girls attention. "When is that festival? Are we still going to do something for it?"

"Of course!" Orihime beamed, flashing me a smile. "I've picked out the perfect song and everything~!"

Great~!

Not..!

No telling what Orihime was going to force us to do on stage in front of everyone at the festival. I just hope we weren't going to make fools out of ourselves…

Although, knowing how Orihime is, we'll definitely do just that.

• • •

"Gah~!" I exhaled, sighing as I hung my head a bit.

"What's wrong with you?" Ichigo asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he looked back at me.

We were beginning to walk out of school and we were lucky that it was mostly deserted by now. Most of the other students had already left or they were at their clubs.

"I'm feeling pretty out of it today," I muttered, stretching my arms as I tried my best to limber up. "I'll probably stop by Urahara's tonight to see if he can fix it."

"What'll Geta-Boshi do for you?" Ichigo asked, curious.

"Huh? You don't know?" I asked, eyebrows furrowing. "My reiatsu-"

"Ichigo! Jun!"

"What is it, Rukia?" I asked, as we both turned around and saw Rukia running up to us.

"Is it a Hollow?" Ichigo asked, his mind immediately going to the business side of what would happen whenever Rukia approached him like this.

"No, it's not that." Rukia said, adverting her gaze to the ground. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, there's nothing wrong with me." Ichigo said, stretching a bit as if to prove his point.

I could understand why Rukia was concerned; I can still vividly recall the fear that built up in my stomach as I watched Ichigo fall to the ground yesterday. I was pretty scared for him when his reiatsu spiked and he couldn't control it. I was so relieved that Ishida stepped in and helped out. If he hadn't… I don't even want to think of what would have happened to Ichigo.

"I see… Then, that's good." Rukia nodded, as if she were pleased by his answer.

"Is there gonna be another one like yesterday?" Ichigo asked, looking a bit alarmed.

"What would we do if a Menos Grande appeared so easily?" Rukia asked, shaking her head.

I grinned, laughing a bit. "We'd be in serious trouble; that's what would happen."

"You're…acting a bit strange today." Ichigo mused, looking down at Rukia. "Did something happen."

Rukia looked at the ground, not meeting our questioning gazes. Ichigo and I exchanged confused looks, before training our eyes on Rukia. She looked away, then back at the ground.

"Well…"

"AHHHHH~!"

"Huh?!" All three of us asked, wondering where that screaming was coming from. Looking around, we ran out of the gates. Dust was flying up everywhere, so we continued looking around.

"Ichigo~!" Kon whined, running straight towards us as fast as his little plushie legs would let him. It was still pretty darn fast; after all, he was a Mod-Soul with enhanced leg strength.

Before I knew it, Kon had jumped up and was latched on my chest. Tears were streaming down his little plushie face. Normally, I would instantly try to pry him off, but he looked so worn out and beat up!

"I'm sorry that I ran away~!" He cried, snuggling even deeper into my chest. "I understand now! I realize that my place is with you! Ichigo~!"

I cooed, wrapping my arms around the plushie and hugging him for once. "You poor thing~!"

"Jun, don't encourage him!" Ichigo snapped, glaring at the ratty plush as it snuggled deeper into my cleavage. "Besides, you ran away?"

"Ichigo~!" Kon wailed once more, snuggling with me.

"Hey, I'm over here!" Ichigo yelled, tugging on Kon's tail and trying to pry him from my arms.

"Ohhh, the world was so cruel to this one who ran away from home! I'm… I'm going back to your room!" Kon continued to cry.

"Going back, huh?" Rukia asked, her eyes saddening as she looked at the plushie that continued to snuggle into my arms.

"What's wrong with you?" Ichigo asked, prying his eyes away from me and Kon to question Rukia.

Rukia shook her head, trying to ignore Kon's crying. "Nothing. But, Kon's really become attached to you."

"Heh, he's a pain in the neck." Ichigo mused, only to glare at the stuffed lion once more. "But look at you! Look, you have stuffing coming out!"

Ichigo grabbed Kon's tail once more, giving it a powerful tug. This time, I let go, and Ichigo managed to pry the plushie off of me.

"Hey, what're you doing?!" Kon yelled, being held upside down in the air by his tail as he flailed about wildly.

"I'm amazed that he didn't die. He looks like he's in pretty bad shape." I mused, eyeing Kon as he swung back and forth.

"Oh, well. I guess we'll have to take you to him." Ichigo sighed.

"Let go of me! I want Jun~!" Kon wailed, still swinging back and forth.

"That would be a wise choice; he is involved in the handicrafts club, isn't he?" Rukia asked, looking back at the school.

"Yep!" I nodded, wickedly grinning down at the lion plush. "It's off to Ishida you go~!"

• • •

"Why me?" Ishida asked, pushing up his glasses as they glinted in the light.

"Why not?" Ichigo asked, sighing as he put a hand on his hip. "I thought that this was your specialty?"

"I refuse." The Quincy said, looking down as he continued sewing on his own project.

I sighed, holding Kon close to my chest.

How could he not feel pity for the poor plushie? I mean, Kon's arm was literally hanging on; stuffing was even beginning to fall out.

"Why?" Ichigo asked, glaring down at the archer.

"I don't need to answer that." Ishida coolly replied.

"Che, so selfish." The strawberry scoffed, only to have his eyes light up. I swear I could see the light bulb above his head light up. "Oh, I got it! You can't do a thing with those hands! Yeah, it's impossible with them all bandaged up like that! Impossible!"

Ishida twitched, not handling Ichigo's taunts well.

"You can't even thread a needle like that, huh?" Ichigo asked, smirking down at the archer.

"How insulting! These wounds are nothing!" Ishida exclaimed, standing up in a swift motion as he pulled a small portable sewing kit seemingly out of nowhere. Slamming it down on the desk, he swiftly opened it and pulled a spare needle and thread from it. "Give it here! Just watch me; this'll be the work of a master!"

The Quincy grabbed Kon from my hands, slamming the poor thing down on the desk in irritation. His arms wildly began flailing as he began working on Kon. However, we couldn't see what Ishida was doing; his back was turned to us and we couldn't see Kon.

"Is Kon going to be all right?" I muttered, watching as Ishida went to town on the poor plushie.

"I dunno…" Ichigo whispered, not really knowing what was going on.

"Finished!" Ishida announced, standing up straight.

"That is-"

"Unbelievable!"

"Amazing~!" I gushed, trying not to laugh as Ishida stepped back and revealed Kon. It wasn't just any Kon; this time he was dressed in what appeared to be a medieval renaissance dress, complete with the intricately curled wig.

"Such bad taste..!" Ichigo muttered, stepping back from the plushie.

"Pretty bad." Rukia nodded, eyes shadowed by her hair.

Ishida smirked, laughing a bit. "I have high-grade fabric so that I can accept orders at any time. And the material I used here-"

"Shut up!" Kon yelled, jumping and kicking Ishida in the head. "Just cut the crap! Making fun of me and…huh?!"

Kon paused; looking around to find that we had all ran from the room.

"I'm going to run away after all~!"


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight

• • •

"Stupid Urahara…" I seethed, pulling on a pair of comfortable yoga pants and complementing tank top. "I go by to see him and he's not there! What in the world could that man be up to?!"

"You called~?"

"Gah!" I yelled, jumping at the sound of that voice. Hand held to my heart, I looked around for the owner. "Urahara! Don't sneak in through my window! That's what the front door is used for!"

"Aw, but it's no fun that way~!" Urahara mused, laughing as he hid his goofy grin behind his fan.

"Che, what'll my neighbors think if they see you climbing up to my window and sneaking in?!" I exclaimed, rushing over to the window and tugging him inside. I stealthily looked outside, trying to see if there were any nosey humans looking around. Luckily, I didn't see any nosy people.

"Ah, you shouldn't phrase it like that, Jun-Kun." Urahara grinned, "You make it sound like we're about to do something dirty~!"

"Only you'd take it that way." I stated with an emotionless voice, rolling my eyes as Urahara pretended to pout. "Anyways, what are you doing sneaking into my apartment at night? That's a bit too shady, even for you."

"Did you say that you were looking for me?" Urahara asked, beginning to get serious; finally.

"Well…yeah." I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest. "I stopped by the shoten earlier and Tessai said that you were out. Ever since you tampered with my limiter the day before, I've been having a really hard time sensing reiatsu. I can barely sense Ichigo's, and I know he gives off a ton." I shook my head, exhaling. "I feel more restricted that normal. So, can you tweak it again? This just doesn't feel right. I feel like I can't even control my own reiatsu."

"Hm," Urahara hummed, cutting his gray eyes to the side.

"Urahara? What's going on?" I asked, confused. "You're acting stranger than usual."

"It looks like you have mail." He stated, his eyes zeroing in on an envelope that was on my desk.

"Huh?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows as I looked over to whatever it was he was looking at.

Indeed, there was an envelope sitting on my desk. How had I not noticed that before? The white envelope seemed to glow compared to the dark wood of my desk; especially with a thin stream of moonlight filtering in through the window.

It only took a few quick paced steps to make it over to my desk; after all, my apartment wasn't the largest in the world.

 **'** **Thank you for everything'**

"Huh?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows as I took in the writing on the cover of the envelope. It was easy to recognize the writing as Rukia's; it also helped that she had drawn one of her favorite rabbits as well. After all, she's loved Chappy for as long as I could remember. That's why, whenever she tried to illustrate something, she drew it in terms of that rabbit. "This is from Rukia. But, why would she randomly give me a letter?"

Blinking, I shrugged to myself.

It couldn't hurt to open up the letter and see what it had to say. Besides, what she wrote on the front disturbed me. She made it sound like she was leaving.

As I slid my finger under the flap, I froze.

Something wet was trickling down my neck.

Raising my hand to see what it was, I could only register that it was growing darker. I was vaguely aware that my vision was blurring; beginning to slowly fade.

"Wha..?"

I was engulfed in darkness.

• • •

[Urahara Kisuke's P.O.V.]

"Forgive me, Junko."

I easily caught the falling teenager in my arms; to me she seemed to be falling in slow motion. Of course, I expected her to fall. After all, I planned for it to happen.

Carefully, I sat her down on the couch.

Well, at least she looked peaceful now.

I know that I'll pay for this later, anyway, when she wakes up in a few hours.

Shinten [Shock Point] was useful in situations like these. It was similar to a tranquilizer; however it only worked on those with lower spiritual pressures. It only worked on Junko now because I had tampered with her reiatsu the other night.

Sadly, all of this was necessary.

Soul Society had sent Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji to collect Kuchiki Rukia. I had a feeling that they would search for Junko as well, which is why I suppressed as much of her reiatsu as I could. I couldn't have her fighting them off… No, not yet.

This was Kurosaki Ichigo's wake up call.

He would see just how strong those from the Soul Society are. Then, he'd go with Junko back to the Soul Society and save Kuchiki Rukia.

At least, that's what I planned.

I just hope that I have properly accounted for all of the variables in this situation.

I would owe a lot to Ichigo and Junko.

And to the rest of the Soul Society.

• • •

[Kokawa Junko's P.O.V.]

"Mm," I groaned, furrowing my eyebrows as I tried to force my eyelids even closer together.

All I knew is that my head was seriously pounding. This was probably the worst headache that I had ever had. It was so bad that I could feel the pain throbbing throughout my entire body with each heartbeat.

A soft sigh escaped my lips as I felt something cool press to my forehead; I could also feel warm fingers stroking my cheek. Exhaling once more, I forced my eyes to open. Wincing at the bright sunlight streaming in through a window, I had to let my vision slowly adapt to my surroundings.

"Jun-Chan, are you feeling better now?"

"A little bit," I nodded, softly smiling as I looked up at the small dark haired girl. "Thank you for looking after me, Ururu."

"It was nothing." Ururu shook her head, lightly blushing. "I'm always glad when I can help Jun-Chan."

Slowly sitting up, I placed my hand on Ururu's dark hair. Gently ruffling it, I smiled down at her. "Thank you, Ururu."

"This is for you; I don't think that you've had the chance to read it, because it's still unopened." Ururu quietly said, gesturing to the envelope from last night that was sitting on my other side.

"Ah, that's right." I nodded, wincing a bit as that further aggravated my pounding headache. "I remember Urahara coming over to my apartment. He was acting shadier than usual. He pointed out the fact that I had this letter… Then I don't remember anything else."

"Well, Tencho [store owner/boss; this is how Ururu refers to Urahara] brought you back here last night. He also brought back Kurosaki-San." Ururu said, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Ichigo? He's here? Why?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows as I threw the covers off of my body.

"I think that letter explains everything," Ururu murmured, looking down at the envelope once more. "And Tencho will explain everything else to you after you read it."

"Thanks," I spoke, grabbing the envelope. Ururu nodded, gathering her bowl full of cool water and the washcloth that she had used for my head.

As Ururu exited the room, I slid my finger under the edge of the envelope, pulling the letter from the inside.

"Of course," I muttered, rolling my eyes as I opened it. "You never did make things easy, Rukia…"

Rukia left her message for me in a code; using the clue that she provided, I was supposed to weed out the extra characters that she had stuffed into her words.

Let's see…

She left a weird looking drawing for my clue… but, what was that supposed to be? A badger? A raccoon?

It was a raccoon! So, all I had to do was remove the extra characters that spelled the word out. Raccoon was 'tanuki,' so she wrote her message in-between the characters 'ta,' 'nu,' and 'ki.' So, let's see what that left me with…

 **Junko.**

 **I want to thank you for everything. But, I have to ask that you do not come looking for me. Please, don't worry about me. I want you to go into hiding; I believe that it's only a matter of time before Soul Society comes looking for me…and I don't want you dragged into this. Burn this letter after you read it. If you can, I want you to take Ichigo and go into hiding. He probably doesn't understand the severity of the situation.**

 **Please, do as I ask.**

 **-Rukia**

"Damn it!" I seethed, eye twitching as I read through the letter, "Rukia, you are so stupid! I can't believe you'd do this!"

My fist closed around the letter in anger, so I wadded the letter up. Tossing it behind me, I stood up. If I had to hunt her down, then so be it.

But first…

Urahara had some explaining to do..!

I paused in front of the mirror that was in the room. I raised my tank top up, exposing my stomach. I twisted around, trying to get a nice view of the tattoo on my lower back.

Urahara! He still hadn't fixed it!

That's why I felt as weak as I did!

"Urahara!" I exclaimed, yelling as I ran out of the room. I could faintly sense his reiatsu, but it was all around because this was his house.

Growling, I slid open all of the doors that I could.

"There you are! Urahara, fix it now!" I yelled, throwing back the sliding door to one of his spare rooms. Urahara was standing near the doorway; he captured my soul attention.

"Uh oh," Urahara gulped, spotting my furious expression.

Hissing like an angry cat, Yoruichi would be proud, I pulled my tank top over my head and threw it at Urahara. "Now!"

"J-J-Jun..!" Ichigo sputtered, face visibly darkening as his eyes widened. He'd just seen me pull my shirt off, glaring at Urahara. I was wearing a sports bra, so it's not like I was just walking around in a regular bra… Then again, I do remember Tatsuki telling me how much of a prude Ichigo was.

"Well, this does look a bit naughty~." Urahara mused, as he reached down and picked up my tank top.

I blushed myself at his teasing words, but I still managed to keep the glare on my face. "I don't care! I want you to fix what you've messed with!"

Turning around, I pointed to the larger than ever tattoo scrawled across my whole lower back. My simple…tramp stamp…now reached across from side to side.

"About that," Urahara sighed, "I did that so you wouldn't get involved in the situation last night. I can easily set it back; in fact, to make it up to you, I'll release even more of your reiatsu than before I tampered with it last time."

Ichigo sat there, gaping up at the tattoo that covered most of my lower back. Of course, it wasn't always so large. Only two days ago, when Urahara messed with it, it grew to this size.

Sighing, Urahara trudged over to my side. Under his breath he chanted the words to undo the seal; however, he only said a bit of the incantation. He wasn't undoing the whole seal, but he was releasing half of my reiatsu from the thing. Reiatsu focused to his fingers, seemingly forming flames at the tips. With a swift movement, he jerked them into the seal.

Sighing in relief, I felt my reiatsu fluctuate. I could hear Ichigo gasp at the density of it as it released, so I quickly took it back under my control.

"Thanks," I muttered, craning my neck so I could try and see the tattoo. "I feel better already. Much better than I did before."

"Yeah, I would imagine so." Urahara nodded, "You now have back fifty percent of your original reiatsu. You remember how to undo the full seal, if the circumstance is right, correct?"

"Mhm, I still remember." I nodded, smiling as I saw the now moderately sized tribal skull tattoo that only took up half of the space that it did before. "Although I hope that I won't have to release it any time in the near future."

Ichigo, still cherry red, grabbed my tank top from Urahara's slackened grip. His eyes narrowed in my direction as he chucked it at me, successfully hitting my chest with it. "P-Put your shirt on, woman!"

"Che," I rolled my eyes, "You're such a prude. Normally guys would go crazy to see a girl with her shirt off. I know Keigo would."

"That's Keigo!" Ichigo yelled, his blush not fading as he looked me straight in the eyes; his gaze wouldn't stray lower than that. "Some guys have standards..!"

"If you say so," I muttered, shaking my head. "Just don't tell Karin about this; you'll have her worrying more than before."

"Shut up!" Ichigo exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring off to the side. He then took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "What's with that scary looking tattoo anyway?"

"Scary looking tattoo?" I echoed, raising an eyebrow as I pulled my tank top on once more. "I suppose some would find it scary. But it's the same skull that's on the glove that Rukia had. Besides, it's more of a seal than a tattoo."

"It's fuinjutsu." Urahara spoke up, grinning at the blank expression on Ichigo's face. "Better known as a sealing technique. We can control the amount of reiatsu that Jun-Kun radiates with that seal."

"Mhm," I hummed, nodding along. "I had so much reiatsu as I kid that I attracted many Hollows. It took a while for me to learn how to control a large portion of it, so Urahara sealed the rest away."

"You're saying that you weren't at even half of your normal power this whole time?" Ichigo questioned, an incredulous look on his face.

"Yeah," I nodded, grinning in his direction. "If I'm guessing correctly, Urahara only let about thirty percent of my normal reiatsu filter through. So, I was lacking eighty percent of my reiatsu."

"Monster!" Ichigo muttered, eyes widening.

I laughed at his expression, rolling my eyes.

"By the way, how are you? You look all banged up." I mused, motioning for him to follow me and Urahara to the main room.

"Kurosaki-San is fine." Urahara said, grinning down at me. "Tessai did a great job bandaging him up and healing most of his wounds. However starting now, at every interval of an hour, I want you to take this pill." Urahara said, turning to Ichigo and pulling a pill from a bottle. "By dinner time, you'll be pretty much recovered from your injuries. We'll start your tutoring session at that time. We don't want you to die in the middle of training, now do we?"

"Hey, why is there a skull drawn on the bottle…" Ichigo muttered as Urahara shoved the bottle in his face and swung it around.

"Urahara's like that." I shrugged, rolling my eyes. "I think it also helps mark the merchandise that's not for humans."

"Makes sense," Ichigo muttered, narrowing his eyes at the bottle as he took a pill and dry swallowed it.

"Jun-Kun, I trust you'll be off training as well?" Urahara asked, lightly fanning himself as he observed us from the corner of his eye.

"Of course," I nodded. "I've probably gotten rusty. It's been a long time since I've had a decent training and have released my Zanpakuto. How long do I have? 'Cause I was thinking about looking into something else as well…"

"I'll be training Kurosaki-San for ten days. Then, I'll need seven more days to prepare to open the door to the Soul Society." Urahara explained.

"Seventeen days total?" I asked, eyes widening. "Will we really have enough time to get to Rukia?"

"You should have thirteen days. Soul Society usually allows a month's grace period for the maximum penalty of a convicts execution." He answered, shrugging. "That should be enough time for you guys to find Rukia."

"Alright," I sighed, nodding. "That should be enough time; especially if you think so."

"Of course~." Urahara mused, smiling at the two of us. "So, until then, the two of you should go to school. It's the last day today, right?"

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed. "At least that was timed right. We won't have to worry about missing school work while we train and go to the Soul Society…"

"It's almost too perfect." I agreed, sighing as well. I just wanted to miss school.

"You both better hurry. You'll need to change into your uniforms." Urahara noted, observing our clothing. "And my, my~! What a pair you'll make walking down the streets together like that."

Ichigo and I immediately straightened up, glaring at the shop keeper.

"I mean, you're both in sweats. It looks like the two of you are coming back from doing the hanky panky~!"

"URAHARA!"

• • •

At school, nobody remembered Rukia.

Another kid sat in her seat. Everyone was in their own cliques; I didn't hear anyone asking about where Rukia was. It was quite…disheartening.

Class passed by quickly.

"So, I think that's about all I had to cover today." Ochi-Sensei mused, before shooting a grin towards us all. "Well, so it's summer vacation, remember to flake off your homework; except for today's Japanese lesson! When you're partying, you have to be a little immoral for it to become a good memory~!"

Teachers really say things like that?

I giggled, smiling at the grin stretching across our teacher's face.

"Okay, everyone! Try to stay alive until September!" Ochi-Sensei exclaimed, "Class is over; you're free to go."

"Jun-Chan~!" Orihime cooed, skipping over towards my desk with a huge grin on her face. "I've finally picked out our music!"

"Music?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"Tatsuki-Chan and I finally picked out something to sing together. Remember? For the festival?" Orihime questioned, slightly furrowing her eyebrows as well and pouting at my ignorance.

"Ooh." I said, feeling the light bulb above my head suddenly light up. "That music; so, what'd you guys choose?"

"Here it is!" Orihime beamed once more, withdrawing a CD from her back and handing it to me. "Listen to it and tell us what you think. I really like it, and Tatsuki thinks it's good, too! I've even started coming up with some dance moves!"

"Dancing?" I asked, eyes widening. "I thought we were just singing together?"

"Yeah! I mean, this makes it so much more fun! Why not go all out and have fun while we're at it?" Orihime questioned, "Besides, this is gonna be so much fun!"

"Alright," I sighed, safely tucking the CD into my bag. "I'll listen to it and everything. I'm assuming there are enough parts for us all to sing, right?"

"Well, it's mainly divided between the two main singers. That'll be you and me. Tatsuki-Chan's going to sing the backup vocals and harmonize. See, we've got it all planned out!"

"Haha, that sounds good." I laughed at her enthusiasm. "I'll listen to it sometime later on tonight and give you a call."

"GAAAAAH~!"

Both Orihime and I jumped at the sound of the scream, looking around the classroom for whoever released it.

Keigo.

"It's 'crack open the watermelon,' not 'crack open Keigo'~!" Keigo wailed, his hands flying to the crack on his skull that was squirting blood. Ichigo was blindfolded and holding a bat.

Before I knew it, we were all being ushered outside; not by Ochi-Sensei, but by Keigo. When I say everyone, I mean everyone: Tatsuki, Michiru, Orihime, Mizuiro, Chad, Ichigo, and myself.

"Watermelon, inner tube, beach ball, beach parasol, suntan oil, surfboard, and…bathing suit~!" Keigo rambled on, somehow pulling said items out and showing us all.

"Why does he have a bikini top as a bathing suit?" I questioned Ichigo, eyes wide from confusion.

Said strawberry's scowl only deepened a bit, and he shook his vibrant orange head.

"This is what summer is all about! Summer means the ocean! Thus I, Asano Keigo, am proposing a co-ed, ten day trip to the ocean~!" Keigo exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air. Somehow, he had managed to change into a Hawaiian shirt which put me in the mind of Chad. "Fireworks, the test of courage, and even mixed hot spring baths! We have many plans to guarantee your enjoyment! Yeah, yeah! This summer's travelling agent is Keigo; at your service!"

"Sorry," Ichigo said, putting his hand up. "I have no space in my schedule, so I'm passing on this one."

"What did you say?!" Keigo yelled, a vein throbbing on his forehead as he screamed. Even his eyes seemed to be about ready to pop out of their sockets.

Well, at least we know that Keigo's being super intense this time.

"Yeah, sorry." Ichigo said, backing up from his so called friend. "I still can't go no matter what you say."

"Sorry, Keigo, but I can't go either." I spoke up, biting my lip.

"You too, Jun-Kun?!" Keigo wailed, turning to me with a crestfallen look.

"Sorry… I'm also kinda…" Orihime began, sheepishly looking off to the side.

"I can't go because boys are going." Tatsuki bluntly stated.

"If Orihime-Chan, Tatsuki-Chan, and Junko-Chan aren't going then I can't…" Michiru sadly said.

"Me too…" Chad rumbled, "Count me out this time…"

By this point, Keigo was reduced to tears. He slowly turned his head, looking at his only friend that had yet to speak up.

"Ah!" Mizuiro said, smiling as he pulled a snorkel from his bag and put it on. "And I'm going snorkeling tomorrow!"

"You bastard!" Keigo yelled, gripping onto Mizuiro's shirt and wailing.

"Hey! How come you're only like this to me?!" Mizuiro whined.

"Who are you going with?!" Keigo demanded, shaking the poor teen. "Are you going with that older woman?! Tell the truth!"

"N…No! I wish!" Mizuiro answered, "Actually, I'm going with Mari-San and her nine girl friends! Altogether, eleven of us are going!"

Of course, that set Keigo off.

Not wanting to hear Keigo screaming anymore, I turned to all of my friends and waved. So they wouldn't say anything, I nimbly put a finger to my lips, winking at them as I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder.

"Why the long face, Ichigo?" I asked, hearing his footsteps as he walked beside me. I wouldn't say that he looked sad; more like, he looked deep in thought. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"I feel odd." He bluntly stated, staring straight ahead. "Nothing seems out of place. Even without Rukia, the world just keeps on going."

"Well, yeah. Rukia wasn't originally from here." I said, feeling my eyes soften as I thought about where she could possibly be right now.

We walked on in silence for a few moments, until Ichigo caught my attention.

"Inoue?" He asked, causing me to look up to see Orihime on the street in front of us, clutching onto her school bag. "What's up, Inoue? Is something wrong?"

Orihime tore her gaze from Ichigo for a second to look at me. After meeting my gaze for a few seconds, she turned back to the strawberry. "Where's Kuchiki-San? Why did everyone suddenly forget about Kuchiki-San? I thought…somehow, you two would know."

"Orihime…" I muttered sadly, running over to the auburn haired girl. I stared up at her, gently taking her hand and tugging her over to a nearby stairwell. "We owe you an explanation."

• • •

"I see…" Orihime muttered, after listening to us explain everything. "She returned to where she came from… And so, you'll both be going to rescue her."

"Hm? Yeah, yeah." Ichigo said, before turning to Orihime with a fake smile plastered on his face. I couldn't hold back my grimace as I saw how forced it was. "You know, I'm really surprised! I had no idea that you could see us at all. If I knew, then…"

"So what do you think you're doing?" Orihime asked, looking straight ahead and away from Ichigo's creepy fake smile. "Kuchiki-San's originally from that world. Her family, her friends…aren't they all there too? When you rescue her, what are you going to do when it happens again? Are you going to take her away from her family and friends and drag her back here again? Do you think that is the right thing to do?!"

My eyes widened at Orihime's speech.

Did she really just tell us off?

"…That's…" Ichigo began, looking down at his hands; he couldn't find the right words to speak.

"Surprised?" Orihime asked, standing up and looking at the sky.

"…" Ichigo was speechless as he looked up at Orihime with a deadpan stare. "Huh?"

"I already know!" Orihime laughed as she spun around and faced us. "Even if I scold you two like this, you both have your minds set!"

Orihime winked at me, ushering me to join her. Grinning, I stood up and walked over to her side.

"Kurosaki-Kun, you'd just scowl like always!" Orihime giggled.

"And I'll demonstrate as Orihime explains~!" I giggled as well, awaiting her instructions. I really wanted to see if I could replicate his trademark scowl.

"You'd pucker up your lip," Orihime explained, watching as I puckered my lip. "Scrunch up your chin," this was a bit more difficult, but I managed. "Cross your arms," this was easy. "And then with a haughty pose…"

"As long as you're alive, you'll always have a chance at meeting your family! It's when you're dead that ya can't!" I finished for Orihime, striking my so called 'Glaring Strawberry' pose. I saw Ichigo gaping at me, while Orihime laughed. I couldn't hold the scowl any longer, so I had to drop it. Smiling, I turned to Ichigo. "That's how I think you'd answer!"

Orihime nodded, "That's how the Kurosaki-Kun I know would answer."

Ichigo's gaze softened at us, as we both continued grinning.

"So go save her!" Orihime beamed, "Fight! I'll be cheering for you! Both of you! I don't want either of you to die either!"

Ichigo's hand on his lap curled into a fist as he silently rose from his seat. "Thank you… Inoue, Jun!"

Before I could blink, Ichigo's hand curled around my wrist; his school bag in his other hand. He nodded down at me, smirking as he spun around and began to run up the steps, taking me with him.

"See you later, Orihime!" I called out, smiling over my shoulder as I waved goodbye to her.

"Yeah…" I heard her softly say, "Please, be careful you two…"


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine

• • •

"Jun-Sama, where are you going?" Paku asked, catching my attention as I was packing a couple of bento boxes. Nothing that would spoil; they were filled with stuff that would last for a couple of days.

"I thought I told you earlier." I mused, laughing down at the pouting panda plushie. "I told you that I'll be gone for ten days. I've got to train while I can."

"Ten days?" Paku echoed, sounding disappointed.

"Yes," I nodded. "I might have to come back for something sometime during it, though. So, I still might see you. Remember, I need you to look after my body while I'm gone."

"Of course!"

"Orihime and Tatsuki are supposed to be coming by sometime during those ten days to teach me the 'dance' moves to that song that we're gonna be doing. So, make sure you act like me and memorize it. I'll need you to teach me when I get back." I explained, sighing as I packed the last bento. "Is that alright?"

"Yes, Jun-Sama!" Paku answered, grinning up at me.

I grinned back down at her, "Ichigo's gonna be gone for ten days training as well. However, he'll be with Urahara. So, this is a warning; if he stops by, it's really Kon. Got it?"

"Yep! Beware of Kon~!" Paku chimed, laughing.

She actually quite liked the perverted stuffed lion, so I just hoped that nothing would happen between them while they were in charge of actual living bodies for ten days. Even longer when we left for Soul Society…

"Jun-Sama, if Ichigo-Sama is training with Urahara-Dono, then who are you training with?" Paku asked.

"I'll be on my own." I answered. "It's better that way; I'll be able to communicate with my Zanpakuto in peace. I also… need to check something out."

"May I ask what?"

"It's just old family business and stuff like that." I hesitantly answered. "Remember when not too long ago I got that mysterious letter? Well, I think it was from my Uncle, so I'll need to check that out."

"Alright; just be safe, Jun-Sama." Paku pleaded, truly worried for my safety.

"Don't worry." I cooed, hugging the Mod-Soul. "I'll try to be as careful as I can. If you're this worried when I leave for training, then I'm wondering how much of a wreck you'll be when I leave for Soul Society to get Rukia."

"I'll be a whole lot worse," Paku gravely stated, before sighing. "But I know that I cannot stop you. This is what you want to do. I won't get in your way."

"Thank you, Paku."

• • •

"This is it," I muttered, looking up from the letter that I had received not too long ago. The address the author had written down was displayed in front of my eyes; this was the right house.

I raised my hand and knocked on the wooden door. It wasn't long before it was soon answered, bringing me face to face with the author of the letter.

"Ishida Ryuken-Oji-San," I murmured, lightly bowing to the tall silver haired man that had answered the door. "I had a vague suspicion that you wrote the letter."

"Come in." Ryuken muttered, opening the door a bit further.

Of course, only he could see me. Anyone else walking about outside wouldn't be able to; I was in my Shinigami form.

"I'm sorry if I came too early…" I trailed off, seeing him in his white lab coat; he had on a suit underneath, I recognized the Quincy crosses adorning the tie that he wore.

"I wrote either early or late," Ryuken coolly replied, his deep brown eyes scrutinizing me behind his glasses. Maybe he didn't like the fact that I had shown up in this form?

"I guess you're right. Now, what was it that you had to talk to me about? I don't want to make you late to work." I said, crossing my arms and tearing my eyes away from his still calculating gaze.

"I really did not have anything to talk to you about," Ryuken stated, lightly shrugging his shoulders. "I do, however, have something that your Mother told me to give you when the time was right."

"What..?" I breathed out, eyes widening once he talked about my Mother.

From what I remembered, they never really were on good terms. But, she'd left something for me in his care? Did that mean that she expected to die sooner or later?

"I believe that you heard me the first time." Ryuken's gaze hardened a bit. He then gestured to a box that was sitting on a table, "Everything your Mother left for you in in that box. I do not know what's inside; I haven't opened it because it was not for me."

"Ah, thank you." I said, bowing to Ryuken. "Thank you for keeping it all this time."

"It was her last wish. If anything were to happen to her, then I was to give you this when you were older. I can only guess as to what is inside the box, but it could be anything considering that Yuina put it together."

"I'm guessing that my Mother wasn't someone predictable?" I questioned, sadly looking at the box as I ran my hand over the closed cardboard surface.

"No, she was always one full of surprises." Ryuken answered.

"I'm sorry; you probably don't want to relive all of those memories." I apologized, meeting his gaze once more and bowing. "Thank you for doing what my Mother requested before she died. I don't want to take up any more of your time."

"I'll show you the way out." He replied, nodding at me once I picked up the box.

As he showed me to the door, I was surprised at his next statement:

"If you need any help with anything, don't hesitate to force Uryu to help. He is family, after all."

"Thanks," I nodded, softly smiling. "I'll keep that in mind."

I softly waved at my Uncle before he closed the door. Sighing, I studied the nearby street signs.

Now, it was time to find a suitable place to train.

• • •

 _"_ _This looks like a good spot, Jun."_ Ankoku-Tatsu's voice echoed through my head, causing me to halt in my tracks.

"I agree with you there." I spoke aloud; I knew I could get away with it because nobody was around right now. Again, even if people were around, they wouldn't be able to hear me unless they had some special awareness.

 _"_ _We have ten days to train, is that correct?"_ My Zanpakuto spirit asked, to which I nodded.

"Yes, ten days. We can have a bit more time than that, if you wish. Urahara is training Ichigo for ten days. Then it's going to take him seven more to stabilize the Senkaimon." I explained, sitting the box that I was carrying down next to me as I rested a bit. "Although, you already know all of this, Anko."

 _"_ _Yes, but I just wanted to make sure."_ Her voice echoed once more; I received the mental image of the giant dragon rolling her eyes at me.

"Okay." I nodded, "So, what're we going to do first?"

 _"_ _You're still not ready for Bankai, so I am not going to be training you for that. There are still a few stages of Shikai that you have yet to master. During our time here, I will help you master them. Once you fully master your Shikai, then I'll think about you reaching Bankai."_ Ankoku-Tatsu explained her plans. _"_ _Although I will not begin your training until you open that box. I can feel your unease about it. The sooner you open it and find out what's waiting inside, the better. Then you can be fully focused on your training so you can save Rukia."_

"Thanks, Anko." I softly said, once more tracing the edges of the cardboard box. "It's just like you said, though. I've got this uneasy feeling. I have no clue what she would have left behind for me. I'm a bit scared of facing whatever is in there."

 _"_ _You have nothing to fear."_ Ankoku-Tatsu's voice magnified, filling my ears with her determined tone. _"_ _I'm here with you, remember that. Open the box."_

"Alright," I sighed, inhaling air until my lungs felt like they were going to burst. I held my breath, slowly using my nails to break the seal of the masking tape used to seal the box shut. As I pulled the flaps apart, I slowly exhaled, in anticipation for what I would find inside.

 _"_ _It doesn't look that scary,"_ Ankoku-Tatsu's voice teased as I looked inside of the box.

Ankoku-Tatsu was correct.

It didn't look scary at all.

There were a couple of books, an old photo album, and a thick envelope.

 _"_ _Open the envelope first."_ Ankoku-Tatsu ordered, _"_ _Your Mother probably left a letter explaining about why she gave you all of these old books."_

I numbly nodded, reaching forward and picking up the envelope. It was one of those business looking folders; golden yellow with prongs at the top to shut it.

"You were right; it is a letter." I said, pulling out the handwritten note that was left behind. It was a couple of pages thick and all handwritten in a tiny, neat print. A clinking sound of metal against metal met my ears. Furrowing my brows, I looked down into the envelope and froze.

 _"_ _Of course your Mother would leave you one."_ Ankoku-Tatsu's voice calmly replied. _"_ _She would have wanted you to have a way to protect yourself."_

I dumped the small object into my open hand. The metal felt cool against my palm; it actually felt a little bit comforting. The small cross charm glittered back up at me.

"But, I can't be a Quincy." I muttered, sadly staring down at the charm. "I'm a Shinigami. Shinigami's cannot be Quincy's."

 _"_ _How do you know?"_ The Zanpakuto spirit asked. " _The cross that you hold in your hand is the key to the Quincy power. Anyone can be a Quincy if they have that, right? I observed that Ishida boy; all you have to do is be able to control reiatsu. And not your own reiatsu, but the reiatsu from your surroundings."_

"Well, that makes sense." I nodded, lightly picked up the metal cross and eyeing it. It was a beautiful silver color, and its design closely matched the one that Ishida was currently using. It reminded me of a Celtic cross; however, where the circle in the center should be, this one had a triangle. My eyes trained onto the guard of my Zanpakuto, eyeing its triangle shape as well. "I guess it couldn't hurt to try, right?"

 _"_ _Correct,"_ Ankoku-Tatsu answered, sounding smug.

Rolling my eyes at her tone of voice, I busied myself with putting it on my left wrist; after all, I was left handed.

 _"_ _I think it would be best to read the letter that your Mother left before you try anything out."_ Anko advised, sounding a bit worried. _"_ _After all, she might have left some tips or hints."_

"You're right." I nodded, picking up the letter that I had discarded once I found the Quincy cross in the bottom of the envelope.

 **My dearest daughter,**

 **If you are reading this letter, then I know that your Father and I haven't safely made it out of a battle alive; or even in one piece. For that, I apologize.**

 **We never meant to leave you alone; that was not your Father's or my intention. However, from the moment you were born, we swore on our lives to protect you, even if it meant we lost our lives in the process. You were our world; we both loved you with all of our heart.**

 **When you were born, we could both feel the power that resided within you. With each passing day, it seemed to grow. Of course, your Father and I managed to smother your own spiritual energy with our own [mainly your Father; Quincy's are more adept at using surrounding reiatsu]. Hollows were attracted to you because of this; and we've spent many days, which before I knew it turned to years, protecting you from them.**

 **Your Father, Kokawa Hayate, is in fact a Shinigami. On the other hand, I am a Quincy. In this box, there are many books about the Quincy's past. I warn you now: it's doesn't hold a happy ending. However, I do not blame the Shinigami for their part; as you know, I fell in love with your Father. He was a Shinigami, supposedly my enemy. Hayate wasn't my enemy; he never was. My Father could never understand that. I hope that you'll be able to understand that your Grandfather meant well. I also hope that you'll be able to get to know him yourself. Him and the rest of my family, as well. I know that you're on speaking terms with my older brother, Ryuken, if you are reading this. Just that thought makes me happy, even if I know that I will be gone from this world.**

 **I've included my first Quincy cross in this envelope for you. I hope that you'll be able to figure out how it works; you probably understand the basic parts of it already: concentrate and use the surrounding reiryoku [spiritual power, if you do not already know] and use it to form the bow.**

 **Your Father and I want you to be able to protect yourself. Your safety and well-being is all that we have ever cared about; we both want you to live life to its fullest. I want you to grow old and have children of your own. That's every parent's wish.**

 **I know the Quincy way may not be for you.**

 **I understand if you chose not to become a Quincy.**

 **There are other options; becoming a Shinigami, mainly.**

 **The way of the Shinigami is a dangerous one. Especially if you are still human. However, if that is the path that you chose, we do not care. As long as you are safe, and promise to be careful, we can both accept you becoming a Shinigami. Hayate thinks that the Shinigami path is the path for you to take; you do hold a great amount of reiatsu within you. And having a good amount of reiatsu is necessary to become a Shinigami.**

 **If you are already a Shinigami, then congratulations! To be quite truthful, I have always dreamed of becoming a Shinigami; for they do not kill the Hollow spirit, they cleanse it of its sins so it can pass on. There is also a book to educate you on Hollows, if you do not know what I am talking about.**

 **If you are a Shinigami, I still urge you to try using my old cross. It may not work, because you are a Shinigami, but test it out. For all I know, a Quincy has never become a Shinigami, or vice versa. There might be times when you'll need it. Your Father warns that if your Zanpakuto ever gets shattered, it'll take a bit of time for it to repair itself. If that's the case, then the Quincy cross may come in handy if you are attacked.**

 **Junko, how old are you now? What are you like? How much have you changed from the little girl that I now know?**

 **I know you cannot answer my questions, but I still wonder. I just cannot picture a world without watching you grow up.**

 **Know that I love you. Hayate loves you.**

 **We both wish you the best.**

 **We are both sorry that we cannot be there, telling you all of this in person.**

 **That, I know, is my biggest regret in life.**

 **I only hope that we'll be able to watch over you. I don't want to miss out on any part of your life.**

 **Now, I'm just depressing myself by writing you this letter. Again; I hope you never have to read this. If you are reading, then I apologize once more. I don't think I'll ever be able to stop apologizing.**

 **Now, for my parting words of wisdom:**

 **Stay strong.**

 **Keep your head up high.**

 **Don't let anything get you down.**

 **I love you; so, so much. Much more than you know. Well, until you have children of your own. Then you will know what I mean.**

 **Stay safe.**

 **Love,**

 **Your Mother,**

 **Kokawa Yuina.**

Tears were freely flowing down my face by the time I reached the end of the letter. Some were even splashing onto the paper, slightly smudging the old ink.

 _"_ _Jun,"_ Ankoku-Tatsu cooed in a soothing voice. She hated when I cried; I remember she once told me that her inner world became emerged in water whenever I cried.

"I-I'm alright." I blubbered out, furiously rubbing my eyes; in the back part of my mind, I was glad that I decided to skip out on wearing makeup today. "Th-They're not entirely s-s-sad tears… I-I'm so relieved~!"

 _"_ _Yes, I could literally feel the weights being lifted from your shoulders after you read the bit about them not minding if you became a Shinigami."_ Ankoku-Tatsu mused, her chuckling echoing throughout my head. _"_ _I swear it's brighter in this world now."_

"Haha," I laughed through my tears, happily smiling. "I'm glad it finally brightened up a bit in there for you, Anko."

 _"_ _Yes, thank you for that."_ Ankoku-Tatsu said, and I could picture the giant dragon actually smiling. It was quite a hilarious sight. _"_ _Although, I wish you'd hurry up and try out that cross. I'm quite anxious to see if you can make it work. Your Father did bring up a good point. If I am ever shattered in a battle, you can use the bow. I care for your safety as well because we are one."_

"I understand," I nodded, slightly raising my left hand so I could stare at the cool metal cross shining slightly in the sunlight. "So, what do you say we go ahead and try this thing out right now?"

 _"_ _I'd say to go on ahead."_ Ankoku-Tatsu replied.

"Alright~!" I exclaimed, jumping up to my feet. My left hand was curled into a fist from determination. "Let's start this training~!"

 _"_ _Concentrate on the surrounding reiryoku. It'll be a little bit more difficult than you think; reiryoku is difficult to come by in this world."_ Ankoku-Tatsu explained. _"_ _If we were still in Soul Society, this would be easier. But, if you can master this here, then it'll be easier for you in Soul Society."_

"I understand." I nodded, uncurling my fingers as I held my hand out to the side; like I had seen Ishida do previously. My blue eyes watched the charm jingle from side to side from my sudden movement.

Okay, now all I have to do is concentrate on the surrounding reiryoku.

Concentrate. Concentrate. Concentrate!

 _"_ _There you go!"_ Ankoku-Tatsu exclaimed, her voice ringing though my ears. _"_ _You're getting it!"_

I opened my eyes to see what she was talking about, only to gasp in shock.

"W-What in the world?!"


	31. Chapter Thirty

• • •

"What's going on?" I asked, eyes widening as I saw what was supposed to be my bow.

Ishida's bow was like an icy blue.

Of course, I knew reiatsu came in different colors depending on the person, but this..?

My bow was rather large, and glowing a fierce fiery red.

Red!

 _"_ _I think this is normal,"_ Ankoku-Tatsu's voice responded. _"_ _I mean, think about it. You are a Shinigami. Because of this, your Reiraku is dyed red. Quincy's are still humans, so they have white spirit ribbons."_

"Ah, and so the red of my spirit ribbon tainted the color of the reiryoku that I absorb from the environment; I guess it makes sense." I mused, looking at the bow.

 _"_ _Are you able to fire arrows?"_ My Zanpakuto spirit asked, raising a good question.

"Well, I'm not sure. I guess we're about to figure that out." I answered, smirking a bit as I reached with my right hand to draw the charm back.

Would I be able to fire an arrow?

I narrowed my eyes at a tree standing in front of me; that was my target.

I drew my charm back as far as I could pull it. So far, everything looked promising.

One. Two. Three..!

I released.

To my joy, I actually managed to fire an arrow through the tree trunk.

 _"_ _It actually worked..!"_ Ankoku-Tatsu exclaimed in wonder, making me grin and hop up and down in excitement.

"Ah!" I exclaimed, losing in my focus as I felt the flesh of my hands begin to burn. Wincing, I looked down at my palms to see them a bright pink; there were even a few blisters.

 _"_ _Okay, so it didn't work out as great as we hoped."_ Ankoku-Tatsu mused, but she did sound a bit worried. _"_ _Are you alright?"_

"I'm fine," I winced, wiggling my burned fingers a bit. "The reiryoku managed to burn the palms of my hands and my fingers. I don't think I can keep the bow up for any longer than I just did; especially if it burns me like that every time."

 _"_ _Well, I think that it's long enough for you to get in one or two quick attacks."_ Ankoku-Tatsu comforted, _"_ _If I cannot help you, I think it would make a good last resort. Even if you cannot hold it for much longer, it's still better than nothing."_

"I agree," I nodded, sighing. "I think my aim's good, so I don't really have to worry about that. I just wonder if it'll burn me quicker when I use reiryoku from Soul Society."

 _"_ _Let's just hope that it never comes down to the point of you using it."_ Ankoku-Tatsu said, _"_ _I'll protect you; you won't have to rely on getting hurt by using that cross."_

"Thanks," I said, lightly smiling. "I'm still going to wear it and carry it with me. It's from my Mom, I can't ignore that."

 _"_ _I wouldn't ask you to discard it that easily."_ Anko scoffed. _"_ _Now eat a bento, look at those books, and relax for a bit. It'll take a couple of hours for me to heal those burns on your hands."_

"It's going to take a couple of hours?" I asked, echoing my Zanpakuto's words. "Why is that? It's never taken you that long before. And I have even more of my reiatsu released!"

 _"_ _I don't want to drain you of your reiatsu so quickly. Isn't the goal so that we can train?"_ Anko asked, _"_ _If I do heal you like normal, it'd probably take a day or two for you to get your reiatsu back to its current level. That'd take time away from our training."_

"I understand," I sighed, falling down on the ground and making myself comfortable.

I could feel Ankoku-Tatsu smirking in my head, _"_ _Enjoy this break. You're not going to get another one until you earn it."_

"You think I want to waste my time on breaks? No, I need to get stronger. We only have ten days; well, now it's closer to nine." I said, glancing at the sky that was beginning to darken.

The stars were just beginning to shine in the sky. It was really quite beautiful; the sky was always prettier the further away from civilization you got.

The first star!

I closed my eyes, wishing on the first star in the night sky. Wasn't it supposed to be lucky?

I wish that everyone will come back safe and sound.

 _"_ _Don't worry,"_ Ankoku-Tatsu said, catching my attention. _"_ _You guys will be fine. You're strong. Ichigo is strong. You have nothing to worry about. Rukia's as good as already saved."_

"Thanks," I murmured, studying the starry sky. "I know you're right. We have nothing to worry about. We will save Rukia."

Ichigo, I thought as I looked up at the sky, you better survive Urahara's training. Urahara can be quite tough, but I'm certain that you can make it though, Ichigo.

• • •

 _"_ _Once more!"_ Ankoku-Tatsu ordered, circling around me in the air.

"Alright, alright!" I barked back, furrowing my eyebrows.

We had been at this for days. Relentlessly, Ankoku-Tatsu came at me with another attack. I managed to force her back with my Zanpakuto, which was activated and in its Shikai state. The harsh sound of metal rubbing against metal caused me to wince as she met my attack head on with the golden crescent moon like armor on her head.

Ankoku-Tatsu's eyes darkened for a split second, and before I knew it the shadows around us sprung up and took on human appearances. They were solid black, like shadows, but they were strong.

"Sousa!" I called out the command, which roughly translated means 'manipulate.'

Black reiatsu circled around me, rising from the very shadows that surrounded us. Of course, in my inner world, there were plenty of shadows.

With precision, I directed my hand towards the five shadow replicas that Ankoku-Tatsu had created. The shadows wound themselves around each figure. When they tried to lunge at me, they were held back.

But…man! Were those shadow replicas strong!

They always tried to resist being manipulated by the shadows. It took all I had to bind them and keep them from moving.

"You can do better than that, Junko!" Ankoku-Tatsu chastised.

"I know, I know!" I yelled, narrowing my eyes at the figures. I felt my reiatsu spike from my sudden surge of anger, so I used that to my advantage. I tightened the shadow binds around them; they couldn't move, but I could still feel their struggle to resist.

Using Shunpo, I easily managed to cut them all down with my katana. I felt a rush of pleasure run through me as they dissolved and melted back into the surrounding shadows.

 _"_ _Finally,"_ Ankoku-Tatsu murmured, _"_ _I thought you'd never get serious."_

"Heh, I'm always serious." I retorted. "It's not my fault that I got a bit rusty. It's been quite a while since I've had to use Shikai to fight anyone."

 _"_ _Well, you do seem to have 'Sousa' down."_ Anko said, _"_ _And you've also got 'Kage Hikikaeru' down as well. We just can't practice that here, because you are in the inner world."_

'Kage Hikikaeru' was my 'Reverse Shadow' attack. It was quite useful when I was in a battle outside of my inner world. If my opponent launched a powerful attack of focused reiatsu at me, then I'd use 'Kage Hikikaeru.' That would create a black hole as people called it, but it was really just a rip in space that led to Ankoku-Tatsu's inner world. The attack would get sucked in, and then quickly decomposes in my inner world.

"So, does that mean that I've completely mastered Shikai?" I asked, wiping away the sweat that was beading across my forehead.

 _"_ _I think so,"_ Ankoku-Tatsu nodded, _"_ _Yes."_

I screamed in excitement.

"That means you'll start training me for Bankai soon, right?" I asked, my eyes large and hopeful. I'd call it giving her puppy dog eyes, but the effect is kind of ruined once you calculate in my weirdly colored hair and all of my piercings.

 _"_ _I would, if we had the time."_ Anko said, sighing a bit. _"_ _It's already been six days. We spent the first one dealing with your Quincy powers, then the rest of the day healing your wounds. The last five days have been spent in here. But, I am impressed at your growth. You can control the shadows much easier now."_

"Thanks," I sighed, hanging my head. "We have four more days. Just what are we supposed to do with all that time?"

 _"_ _Practice on your sword techniques."_ She answered, a bit hesitantly. _"_ _You hesitate sometimes before you swing. Your stance has a few openings."_

"Yeah, that's what Renji told me a few months ago." I sighed, "I have been getting a bit better, though. He's been helping me, remember?"

 _"_ _I remember. He's the only reason that you've gotten better. Nobody else has ever tried to really help you with Zanjutsu."_

"Mhm; he helped me because I'm friends with Rukia. Although, the two of them don't talk to each other anymore. They've sorta had a falling out." I sighed, "Besides, Renji was in the 11th Division. I don't think they'd pass up a chance to fight."

 _"_ _Haha, you're right about that."_ Anko laughed, _"_ _He has helped you a lot, though. I was impressed once you got into the routine of fighting me again."_

"You know that Zanjutsu is my weakness; I hate swordsmanship!" I whined, lightly sighing. "I'm much better at hand to hand combat."

 _"_ _That's because Urahara taught you that."_

"True." I nodded, grinning. "Ichigo's probably being put through hell right now; Urahara's training isn't exactly the easiest."

 _"_ _Exactly."_ Anko laughed, _"_ _And he's not exactly the smartest one out there; think he'll work through all of Urahara's riddles?"_

"He better!" I said, narrowing my eyes. "That strawberry better survive; he's going to Soul Society with me to save Rukia. Besides, I made Jinta and Ururu promise me that they'll make sure he survives, so I don't have to worry about anything."

 _"_ _I noticed that you haven't been worried."_ Anko nodded, slyly grinning. _"_ _You believe in him and his strength. You know he'll survive."_

"Correct~!" I smiled, "I know Ichigo; he wouldn't go down so easily by Urahara's hands. He wants to save Rukia. His determination is just too strong."

 _"_ _That's what you admire about him the most, right? His determination?"_

"Yeah, I mean-" I gasped, spinning to glare at Ankoku-Tatsu. "You tricked me!"

 _"_ _I did nothing of the sort~."_ Anko mused, wickedly grinning. _"_ _You admitted it yourself~!"_

"Gah!" I huffed, "I take it back!"

 _"_ _Nah, you can't do that. I still remember what you said~."_

"No, you don't! Forget!"

 _"_ _Nope; I don't think I will~!"_

"Evil!" I yelled, pointing at the giant dragon. Ankoku-Tatsu just beamed at me. "I'll make you forget!"

 _"_ _That's the spirit! Come at me!"_

• • •

Groaning, I opened my eyes. I stared down at my Zanpakuto, which was carefully positioned horizontally across my lap.

"I feel so stiff~!" I whined, sheathing Ankoku-Tatsu and standing up and stretching.

 _"_ _That's because you've been in my inner world for nine days. Your spirit body has really just been sitting there."_ Anko explained.

I groaned once more, massaging my left shoulder. "Remind me never to go that long without moving again. This is horrible."

 _"_ _The stiffness will go away after you work it out of your muscles. It'll most likely be gone by the time you make it back into the town."_

"I hope so," I sighed once more. "Cause after this I have to learn the choreographed dance that Orihime created to go along with that song we're singing at that festival."

 _"_ _I'm glad that you're opening up more."_ Ankoku-Tatsu's voice echoed, _"_ _You used to keep so much to yourself… I'm glad that you've made some friends."_

"Thanks Mom," I sarcastically replied, rolling my eyes.

 _"_ _I'm being serious, Junko. I'm proud of you."_

I felt my eyes soften, "Thank you."

"Who are you thanking, Jun-Kun?"

Spinning around, my hand instantly found its place on the handle of my Zanpakuto as I crouched down a bit.

"Ah?" I asked, not seeing anyone.

"Down here," The deep gruff voice replied.

Blinking, I shrugged and looked down. There, a small black cat met my eyes.

"Um, did you say something?" I asked, bending down towards the cat with a curious expression on my face. Of course, cats normally didn't talk; however, I knew nothing was normal when it came to things around me.

"Are you saying that you do not remember me? I'm hurt, Jun-Kun." The cat replied, its golden eyes staring deeply into my own.

"Who..?" I questioned, staring down at the black cat; I wasn't too freaked out that it was talking. No, I was freaked out because it knew who I was.

"Well, I did not expect for you to remember me in this form." The cat replied in a deep voice as it then began to rub against my legs and purr a bit. "Here's a hint; I know Urahara Kiskue better than you do."

That was a hint?

Please, I'm sure tons of people know Urahara better than I did. He liked to keep things from me. Well, not just me, but everyone in general.

"Um, another hint?" I questioned, finding myself petting the cat. I couldn't resist it. I was a sucker for animals in general.

"As you know, this is not my true form. I go from an old cat to a nice body~." The cat almost sang, staring up at me with familiar golden orbs.

Wait..! I remember someone who thought so highly of their body!

"Y-Yoruichi?!"

"Correct~!" The black cat mused, grinning up at me.

"What happened to your voice?! You totally sound like a dude!" I exclaimed, my eyes as wide as I could possibly make them. Had she gone through a gender change?! Boy, would Urahara be surprised!

"When I change into this form, my voice always changes." Yoruichi said, her tail lightly swaying from side to side. "And I request that you just refer to me as Yoruichi."

"Well, haven't I always just called you Yoruichi?" I asked, confused.

"What I'm asking is that you do not reveal my true form, or gender. Everyone else knows my name, but they keep referring to me as a 'he.' I want to see their surprise when I transform back into my true form."

Slightly laughing, I shook my head as I looked down at the cat. "You love torturing people, don't you?"

"Why, yes. I do enjoy torturing people."

"Wait, who has been referring to you as a guy?" I asked, thinking about her previous words.

"Orihime, Chad, and quite possibly Uryu." Yoruichi named off.

"Whoa, you mean you already know all of them?" I asked, eyes wide once more as Yoruichi jumped onto my shoulder for a free ride as I made my way back into Karakura territory.

"Of course," Yoruichi replied. Her new deeper voice was even creepier when it was right next to my ear. "I've been training Orihime and Chad for the past couple of days. I offered to help Uryu, but he refused."

"You've been training them?" I questioned, feeling my eyebrows furrow. "You mean, like real training? Why?"

"They've been offered the opportunity to go with you and Ichigo to the Soul Society to help rescue Rukia. They have the power, they just needed the training. Kiskue hinted that he wanted me to help train them."

"I never would have guessed." I murmured, looking down. "I mean, I sensed when they activated their powers a few days ago. I just didn't think that it would be enough for them to get to the Soul Society."

"They all probably won't last against a Taicho or Fukutaicho." Yoruichi explained, "However, I do believe that they'll be of some assistance during the mission."

"Well, that's a relief." I exhaled. "I guess we could use all the help we can get. I mean, with their help we might be able to get to Rukia quicker. The sooner the better, right?"

"Correct," Yoruichi nodded.

"Oh, did you need me to stop by Urahara's and drop you off?" I asked, turning my gaze to look at the cat still perched on my shoulder. "I was just going to head home."

"That's why I was sought you out. Orihime said that she was going to swing by your apartment later on tonight with one of her friends. Something about working on a dance and song?" Yoruichi questioned, her words tainted with humor.

Groaning, I hung my head. "Orihime just won't let me forget about that, will she?"

"No, I do not think so." Yoruichi laughed in her creepy man voice. "She did seem pretty persistent."

"Just great," I moaned, smacking my forehead with my hand.

"This is where we'll part." Yoruichi announced, nimbly jumping from my shoulder and eyeing me. "I also want to remind you to relax and have fun for the next couple of days."  
"Thanks, Yoruichi." I nodded, grinning at the cat. "I'll try my best, but I'm not making any promises."

I waved at the cat as I took off in the direction of my apartment.

"Oh, have fun singing and dancing~!" Yoruichi teased.

Once more, I hung my head as a cloud of doom seemed to hover above my head.

Just what had I gotten myself into?


	32. Chapter Thirty-One

• • •

August 1st.

Today was the day of the festival, and I was supposed to be meeting up with everyone soon. However, being me, I was running a bit late.

It's not my fault that I had trouble with my yukata. The one that Yuzu had picked out for me was beautiful, I couldn't deny that, but it was pain putting on. I mean, I had no clue what I was supposed to do with that obi…

Eventually, I did get it put on correctly.

The cotton felt smooth under my fingers, bringing a smile to my lips. I had to admit, this was probably the best yukata that I've ever worn.

The actual yukata was a soft purple color, almost pale lavender. All over the yukata were alternating black and white butterflies. They reminded me of the jigokucho back in the Soul Society… but Yuzu didn't know about them, so it was probably just a coincidence.

The obi was mostly black, with purple and white floral designs on it. There was actually a purple flower attached to the obi on the upper right side. Yuzu had also managed to find kanzashi, an intricate hair ornament, which matched. It was a tsumami kanzashi to be more precise; it contained folded pieces of fabric which imitated flowers. I messily put my hair up and pinned the kanzashi in place.

Of course, Yuzu had to make sure that I was authentic so she also bought a pair of thick black sandals that matched the yukata. Leave it to Yuzu to coordinate everything so perfectly. Although, she was the one that insisted that I wear a yukata; her and Karin were as well.

Besides, its tradition to wear yukata's to festivals. Right?

• • •

"Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late!" I exclaimed upon seeing the familiar group of my friends. After all, just how many random groups of people included:

A tall lanky tangerine haired guy, a mega tall Mexican guy, and a girl with really long auburn hair. I mean, Tatsuki, Mizuiro, and Keigo looked very normal and average compared to those three.

"Jun-Chan actually wore a yukata~!" Keigo shouted, about to throw himself at me until Ichigo grabbed the back of his shirt and threw him backwards. "So mean, Ichigo~!"

"Wait, where are your guy's kimonos?" I asked, furrowing my brows as I observed the modern street clothes that everyone else wore.

"It's not required for everyone to wear yukata's to the festival." Tatsuki explained, "Besides, it'd kinda be hard getting into a yukata with this broken arm."

"Ah! That's right!" I nodded, "But, why aren't you wearing a yukata Orihime?"

"I didn't know you were going to wear one! I would have if you would have told me!" Orihime pouted, "Why did you decide to wear one?"

"Well…" I tailed off, glaring at Ichigo.

"What are you glaring at me for?!" The strawberry interrupted scowling back.

"It was your sister that told me that I had to wear a yukata! She even picked the thing out!" I exclaimed, wildly waving my arms about. "I thought I didn't have a choice in the matter! I knew that I had to change into a different outfit for our performance later, but I didn't know we were allowed to wear normal clothes!"

"Yuzu probably wanted you to wear a yukata because her and Karin will be wearing them. They both go all out." Ichigo shrugged, looking away as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Gah, that's not fair!" I exclaimed, pouting and crossing my arms over my chest. "Not to mention that it took me forever to put this thing on successfully!"

"Well, you really look great." Mizuiro complimented me.

"Thank you, Mizuiro." I said, smiling at the dark haired guy. "And that tan really suits you. Did you have a nice time snorkeling?"

"Why are you so nice to him and not me?!" Keigo wailed, throwing salt at Mizuiro; why, well, I had no clue.

"Come on, Jun-Chan!" Orihime exclaimed, latching onto my arm and beaming down at me. "This is your first festival! You're gonna enjoy it to its fullest!"

Laughing, I allowed myself to be dragged around by the auburn haired girl. "Alright, let's go!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, walking after us to the festival.

I was actually surprised.

I don't think I'd ever seen something more…well, festive… in my entire life. Tons of people were flittering about, and many were wearing yukata's!

"Ha, see I bet you all feel out of place by not wearing yukata's!" I exclaimed, turning around to stick my tongue out at my group of friends behind me.

Many rolled their eyes but smiled nonetheless at my, for once, carefree attitude. I could feel most of their eyes on me for the first couple of minutes, but then I could slowly feel their gazes leaving my back. After all, it was easier to watch what was going on in our surroundings. It was so lively.

There were street vendors selling almost anything you could imagine; there were various types of food, from meals to snacks. There were also tons of different games; ranging from traditional to modern.

Orihime made sure that we tried tons of different kinds of foods. Some were good, and some weren't that great. But, all in all, it was pretty interesting.

Tatsuki and the guys wanted to play a few games, so I watched as they participated. It was hilarious watching Tatsuki try to play with her one broken arm. Keigo would also get worked up whenever he lost, so that was always something to laugh at.

"You having fun?" Ichigo asked, catching my attention.

"Actually, I really am." I said, smiling up at the strawberry. His cheeks tinted the slightest bit of pink, but I decided not to say anything. "It's really nice to have a break like this to relax before we leave."

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed, his cinnamon eyes drifting once more to my face. "You know you don't have to go. You weren't there when they took her away."

I rolled my eyes, before sternly looking at Ichigo. "Rukia's my best friend. I wouldn't abandon her. I won't leave her to be executed. Besides, I partially see it as my fault anyway."

"Stop, it's not your fault."

"Oh, but if you look at it the way I do, you'll see my side." I argued back, sticking my finger in the air. "I was supposed to bring Rukia back to the Soul Society when I first saw her. However, I listened to her and wound up staying here. If only I had taken her back before, I'm sure she wouldn't be waiting to be executed."

"It's not your fault." Ichigo sighed, softly closing his eyes. "She gave her powers to me. That's the rule she broke."

Softly sighing, I sadly shook my head. "Ichigo, it doesn't really matter whose fault this is. Either way, Rukia's still going to be executed. It's up to us to save her. We will save her."

"Right," He nodded, his intense gaze latched onto my one. "We're going to save her."

"No matter what," I added, grinning up at him.

"No matter what." Strawberry repeated, grinning down at me.

"Jun-Chan, come on! We have to hurry and get ready! They're gonna start the show soon!" Orihime announced running up to me and Ichigo and smiling. She grabbed my hand and tugged on it. "Sorry, Kurosaki-Kun, but I've got to borrow Jun-Chan for a bit."

"This is going to be so embarrassing…" I sighed, shaking my head. "But, as long as I'm not alone up there, I think I'll be fine."

"What are you guys doing anyway? I've only heard Jun complain about it for a while now." Ichigo asked, looking a bit curious.

"We're going to be singing!" Orihime proudly stated, beaming up at the tangerine head. "You have to come and watch us..! Tatsuki-Chan's singing backup for us. Sado-Kun and the others are coming to watch as well!"

Ichigo's eyes met mine for a split second before he turned to Orihime and nodded. "Sure, we'll be there."

"Great~!" Orihime cheered, lightly blushing.

"Alright, let's go ahead and get this show over with." I announced, this time tugging on Orihime's hand because she seemed frozen standing there and smiling at Ichigo. I waved at him as we left, Orihime copying my actions.

• • •

"Aw~!" Orihime cooed as I walked out from behind a curtained off space that they were using as a dressing room. "You look great!"

"We all match, Orihime." I pointed out, sighing. "That means we all look equally great."

"Of course!" Tatsuki smirked.

"You should just be glad that you get out of most of the dancing because of your broken arm." I pointed out, slightly glaring at Tatsuki.

"Right!" Tatsuki laughed, smirking at me. "So all I'll really be doing is singing the backup vocals for you guys."

Orihime nodded, beaming as she busied herself by readjusting the brown plaid bowtie that Tatsuki was wearing.

We were all wearing short brown plaid pleated skirts. We also had on plain white collared button up shirts, and that's where our similarities ended. Tatsuki wore the matching bowtie. Orihime had on a regular tie. I had the tie as well, but it was loosed and I left a few buttons undone.

"Well, I think we look like school girls." I announced, straightening out the few wrinkles that appeared on the shirt from when it was stored in our uniform bags.

"We're supposed to! I mean, I think it matches the song perfectly!" Orihime cooed, clasping her hands together. "I mean, 'Scandal' is probably the best song there is! I'm just so happy that we all agreed on something!"

I nodded, agreeing with Orihime on this one.

It was a miracle that all three of us could agree on one song. I mean, Orihime went for pop and happy songs. Tatsuki usually went for classical rock. I usually listened to alternative. But, we all liked the song 'Scandal' by Shojo S enough to perform it.

"Are you girls ready? You're scheduled to go on right after the other act finishes up." A woman said, walking up to us with a clipboard.

"Yes, I think we're ready." Orihime hesitantly replied, smiling at the worker.

"Alright, then wait for your cue and the music to start." She replied, giving us all a bright smile before walking off.

"Guys, I'm feeling a bit nervous." Orihime shakily said.

"What? You can't bail out on us now!" I exclaimed, eyes widening. "Besides, you've got this! I'm not even nervous yet; remember, I get terrible stage fright! Just think about all of our friends sitting out there waiting for us to perform! You don't want to let them down, right?" I asked, trying to comfort the nervous auburn haired girl; when, truth was, I was probably more nervous than any of them.

I had to put on a carefully set detached emotionless mask.

"Right!" Orihime nodded, her face setting into a determined expression.

"Yeah, we can do this, guys!" Tatsuki nodded, grinning at us. "I'd say group hug, but I can't because of this cast."

We grinned at each other, but that soon faded when we heard the announcer say our names and which song we were going to perform.

"Here we go guys!" Tatsuki said, nodding at all of us.

We heard the familiar guitar melody that started the song off, and we ran onstage. Just like Orihime instructed we had to wave to the crowd and smile at them. I could feel my nerves reach their boiling point, as I felt the grin slowly easing from my face.

However, I easily spotted Ichigo and the others. I shot them a grateful smile once they began clapping for us. Ichigo looked deeply into my eyes and nodded towards me, causing me to actually smile.

For some reason, I didn't feel as nervous as I did a few minutes ago.

Now, it was singing time.

"Sakki made to itteru koto chigau janai [Isn't what you're saying now different than before?]" I sang, grinning as I thought about the meaning to those words.

Orihime grinned, singing her line next. "Chotto dake sugao misete keredo [I'm showing just a little bit of my true self]."

"Zutto ira ira ira ira shite wa atashi wo, mono mitai ni atsugatte [It's been bothering me so much, the way you treated me like a thing]." I sang, grinning at the harmony part that Orihime and Tatsuki added at the 'ira ira ira ira,' part.

"Saki made to itteru koto chigau janai [Isn't what you're saying now different from before?]" Orihime sang, repeating my opening line.

All three of us grinned at each other as we sang the next few lines together, "Dareka no sei ni shite wa nigekakure shiteru hibi, ate ni nara nai wa, I'M SORRY, toriaezu sayonara [It's someone's fault that I'm hiding and running away every day, I can't rely on anything, I'M SORRY, but goodbye for now.]"

And so began the dance that Orihime created. It wasn't anything too difficult. It was mostly shaking and swaying in time, with a few kicks here and there. Of course, what made it somewhat difficult was singing and dancing at the same time; because it went along with the chorus.

"Anata ga inai to iya iyatte ieru wagamama, [It'd be selfish of me to say that I didn't want you to go.]" Orihime and I sung together, grinning before turning to Tatsuki who sang over us another line that blended nicely in with the background.

"Zutto kienai you ni kesanai you ni [I don't want you to go away, I don't want to get rid of you.]"

Orihime and I sung the next line of the chorus together, "Aijou, yuujou, shiritai koto wa nandemo [Love or friendship? I just want to know.]" We shook hands, grinning at each other.

Once more, Tatsuki sing the backup vocals, "Aimai sugite wakaranai yo [It's so vague, I just don't get it.]"

Now, we all sang together once more. "Itsuka kokoro no oku no DOA wo tataku," Then Orihime and Tatsuki faded away, giving me the last line of the chorus, "Anata wo matteiru, [The door to my heart is waiting; for you to knock it down.]"

Back to more choreographed dancing for the music rift that divided the verses. I grinned at the crowed, laughing a bit once I saw them all getting into it and clapping along to the beat of the song. I swear I felt my heart flutter when I met Ichigo's eyes, but I passed it off as too much swaying along with the music like Orihime had planned.

Speaking of Orihime, it was her turn to kick off the verse. "Sakki kara jibun no koto bakkari janai [Haven't you just been talking about yourself lately?]"

"Chotto gurai kizutsu ite mita ra [How about you get hurt a little bit?]" I sang, grinning at the evilness of that lyric.

Orihime and I sang together once more, "Sou yatte yashashii kotoba de, goma kasanai de shinji rare nai wa, kakko tsukenaide yo [Don't trick me with nice words like that, I don't believe you, Don't try and look so cool.]"

More dancing during the small little guitar solo. We then started clapping along to the beat, urging the audience to follow along with us and clap as well.

"Nan nen tatte mo itsu ni natte mo, yamenaide [No matter how many years it takes, Don't give up!]" I sang, grinning.

Orihime and I then sang the next part together, "Atashi ga inai to dame damette itsutte sunao ni [You're saying that you need me here.]"

"Motto hoshigatte yo tsuyo ga ranai de [Want it a bit more, don't be so tough.]" Tatsuki sang the backup vocals, lightly rocking along with the song as best as she could with her broken arm.

"Ai no zanzou, yume miru shoujo ESUKEEPU [A girl dreams of the remnants of love.]" Orihime and I sang together.

"Tsukamattari nigekittari [I want to get caught, I want to get away.]" Tatsuki sang, blending in perfectly with Orihime and my vocals.

"Itsuka kokoro no kagi o kowasu you na [Someday the key to my heart will break.]" We sang together.

"Anata ga inai to iya iyatte ieru wagamama [It'd be selfish of me to say that I didn't want you to go.]" Orihime and I sang together.

Tatsuki grinned, singing, "Zutto kienai you ni kesanai you ni [I don't want you to go away, I won't get rid of you.]"

"Aijou, yuujou, shiritai koto wa nandemo [Love or friendship? I just want to know.]" Once more, Orihime and I sang that part of the chorus together as we shook hands once more, smiling and having a good time.

Back to Tatsuki, "Aimai sugite wakaranai yo [It's so vague, I just don't get it.]"

"Itsuka kokoro no oku o dai tekureru," We all sang together, before they once more faded away and left the last part of the line to me, "Anata wo matte iru [The door to my heart is waiting for you, to knock it down.]"

"Hokani wa nanimo iranai ya iya iya [I don't need anything else.]" We all sang together, moving together for our last pose. Tatsuki stood in the middle of us, while Orihime and I got down on our knees and struck cool poses. "Ashita mo shinjite itai ya iya iya iya iya iya iya [I just want to believe in tomorrow.]"

Everyone cheered, rising to their feet as they clapped and whistled.

I could feel my cheeks heat up from all of the attention, but I still grinned. Orihime and I helped each other stand up, and we all waved to the crowd once more before we ran off the stage.

• • •

I swear, yukata's were too confusing.

"Are you almost done, Jun-Chan?" I heard Orihime ask, causing me to sigh and push my bangs away from my eyes in annoyance.

"I'm fine, Orihime. I just don't remember how I got this stupid yukata on in the first place. It was so much easier to take off…" I muttered, scowling at the beautiful fabric.

"Do you need any help?" She offered, trying to be nice. Heck, she didn't have to try; she was always nice. I doubt she could ever not be nice to anyone.

"No thanks, I'll figure it out on my own." I sighed, once more wrapping the fabric around my slender frame and trying to situate the obi so that I could actually tie it and have it stay. "You guys can go on ahead. I'll catch up with you guys later."

"Are you sure?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yeah," I nodded, but it's not like they could see it. "Besides, didn't you guys want to go to the river? Isn't it like a tradition?"

"Of course!" Orihime exclaimed, "We wanted to show it to you. It's our special place."

"Hm, well I'll catch up with you guys soon. If you really do want to go, you better hurry." I said, sighing as I failed to tie the obi correctly once more because the long sleeves got in the way. "The fireworks are supposed to start once it gets dark, right? So that means it should be starting soon."

"Ah, you're right!" Orihime gasped.

"Jun's right," Tatsuki's said. I could picture her nodding. "C'mon, Orihime. Jun'll catch up with us later. Let's go."

"Oh, alright." Orihime sighed. "See you soon, Jun-Chan!"

"Okay; later guys!" I exclaimed, then biting my lip as I held my breath. How did I have so much trouble putting on a yukata?

I angled my body slightly to the side, so I could try and look over my shoulder and down at the obi that I was trying to tie. When I almost had it, I lost my balance and crashed to the floor.

"Are you alright in there?" I heard a timid voice ask.

"I'm fine!" I barked, my anger getting the best of me.

"O-Okay," The voice replied, and I could hear scurrying feet.

It took four more attempts, but I finally managed to finish getting dressed successfully. I threw my hair back into a messy knot, putting the flowing flower hair accessory back in.

I nodded at my reflection in the small mirror that was propped up on the wall; at least I looked presentable again.

Throwing back the changing curtain, I sweat-dropped at the long line of people waiting to change back into their own clothes as well.

"Oops," I blinked, nervously chuckling. "I'm sorry it took so long."

Quickly bending at the waist, I bowed to them all before I turned and ran. I could feel my cheeks heating up in embarrassment.

"Finally; took you long enough, didn't it?" I heard a voice ask, causing me to jump at its close sounding proximity.


	33. Chapter Thirty-Two

• • •

"Finally; took you long enough, didn't it?" I heard a voice ask, causing me to jump at its close sounding proximity.

"Gah! You scared me!" I exclaimed, glaring at Ichigo. He only rolled his eyes as he looked down at me and I felt my glare melt away. "What're you doing out here anyway?"

"Inoue and Tatsuki went off to the river and Mizuiro, Keigo, and Chad left with my Dad and sisters to wait for the fireworks to start." Ichigo explained, and then averted his eyes. "Besides, you shouldn't be alone at a festival anyways."

"Thanks," I grinned up at him, slightly chuckling at his flushed face. I could tell this was a new side to him. "But you know I could easily find you guys."

"Che," Ichigo scoffed, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he refused to meet my gaze. "You'd probably get lost. That or attract no good guys like Keigo."

I found myself laughing at his logic. "Ah, I wouldn't get lost. I'd track you guys down by tracing your reiatsu. You're the monster, not me. I can feel it right now."

Ichigo just rolled his eyes, a smirk tugging at his lips. Perhaps he remembered our conversation weeks ago when he called me the monster. Obviously, Ichigo was the reiatsu monster. Not me.

"And if there's anyone to blame for the last part of your response, then blame Yuzu." I said, smirking up at the confused strawberry. "She's the one that picked out this yukata."

"Yuzu did?" Ichigo asked, eyes wide as his cinnamon orbs trailed over my yukata once more. "When did she do that?"

"Hm," I mused, wondering that myself. "It was sometime during the days that we spent training. I gave her one of Urahara's credit cards and told her to charge it. For doing that for me, I let her buy new yukata's for her and Karin, too. I bet you didn't even notice that they were wearing new yukata's."

"I didn't think that I recognized those yukata's…" Ichigo hedged, before smirking down at me. "And you gave her one of Urahara's credit cards? Won't he be pissed once he finds out?"

"Aha! That's the genius of my plan! He won't find out until we're in Soul Society rescuing Rukia..!"

"What about when we come back?" Ichigo questioned.

"Well," I blinked, not thinking about that flaw. "Then I guess I'll be the one that needs rescuing next!"

We both laughed at my statement, grinning at each other.

"So," I asked, "Where are we meeting the others?"

"Dad saved a spot on the opposite river bank. Supposedly, it's the best place to see the fireworks." Ichigo answered.

"Hm, it'd be better if we were on a boat to watch them!" I happily exclaimed, only to have Ichigo turn and look at me with a deadpan expression. "What?"

"That's just what Dad said earlier…" Ichigo muttered, shaking his head and sighing.

I laughed, "Great minds think alike, right?"

"Che, more like deranged minds think alike."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, punching his arm as I mock glared at him. "That's not nice..!"

"The truth isn't always nice." He taunted, making me roll my eyes.

"Whatever." I replied, crossing my arms as I looked around us.

There were still tons of vendors with their booths on the side of the streets. Food was still being sold, as well as snacks like snow cones. There were also tons of gaming booths.

"Ah, what's this?" I asked, looking up at a sign above the booth closest to me. "Kingyo Sukui?"

Ichigo noticed that I had stopped walking and was staring at the booth. "It's a goldfish scooping game."

"Goldfish scooping?" I echoed, looking up at the strawberry with furrowed eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Watch," Ichigo answered, grabbing my arm and steering me closer to the booth.

There was a huge tub filled with water and multiple goldfish. There was a small girl with her Father, trying to play the game to win a goldfish.

"You get to keep however many fish that you can scoop up into your bowl," Ichigo explained. "But, the net that they give you is made out of paper. It's very thin, and easily breaks once it gets wet."

"That sounds hopelessly impossible." I said, watching in sympathy as the young girls net broke and the fish fell back into the tub of water.

"The trick is to do it slowly." Ichigo reasoned. "It's not that difficult."

Nodding, I grinned as I looked down into the giant tub of goldfish. They were all so pretty.

"We have some time to kill, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Oji-San," I called, taking some money from my small drawstring purse that matched my yukata. "I'd like to play, please."

"Sure thing!" The owner nodded, taking my money and handing me a small bowl and a paper net.

Ichigo sighed, but still smiled at me as I excitedly motioned him closer. I wanted him to watch and try and help me out a bit; especially since he didn't think it was that hard.

"Put some water in your bowl," Ichigo advised. "You want the fish to survive if you get one."

"Right," I nodded, dipping my bowl into the water and watching as I filled it up halfway. It was quite a site to see all the fish scurrying away from the motion. Maybe this was harder than Ichigo let on? "So, now I just pick a fish and try to get it?"

"You can." Ichigo nodded, squatting down and leaning next to me. "But it's probably better if you just target the slowest moving fish."

"Aw, but I already found the fish that I want." I whined, my eyes locking onto my target. "I wanted that one; see? It's colored differently than the others. It's more of a peach color instead of deep red."

"I see the one you're talking about." Ichigo nodded, "Go for it."

"Okay!" I cheered, my eyes burning with determination. Ichigo snickered at me, but I didn't care. "I'm gonna catch that goldfish! Momo will be mine!"

"Momo?" Ichigo questioned.

"Yes; that'll be his name if I get him. After all, he reminds me of a peach."

"How do you know if it's a guy? Besides, isn't Momo a girl's name?"

"Hm," I grinned up at him. "Ichigo's a girl name too, right?"

Cue glare.

Laughing, I shrugged. "Boys can be called Momo, too! I mean, isn't the name 'Momoshiro' for boys? For short I can just call him Momo!"

"I guess." Ichigo sighed, shrugging his shoulders. Maybe he was finally seeing my logic.

Now, to the game! I maneuvered my bowl near where Momo was at, as I slowly lowered my net into the water. Now! Move the net up, and I've got him!

Only, he jerked away and my net split right down the center.

The man that owned the stall took pity on me and handed me an extra net free of charge. I tried again, trying to be more careful this time, but I still managed to break the paper net.

"Aw!" I sighed, sadly looking at my broken net. "I guess Momo won't be mine after all."

"Scoot over." Ichigo ordered, causing me to look up at him in confusion.

Ichigo lightly shoved me over, taking my previous spot. In his hand was a net; a new, unbroken net.

"Are you going to try?" I asked, watching as he dunked his own bowl into the water. The strawberry's only answer was a curt nod as he tried to find Momo amongst all of the other fish.

I watched as he zeroed in on the peach colored goldfish, smirking at it. He followed its movements with his eyes for a few seconds, before he nodded to himself. He held the bowl above the water with one hand. In his other hand was the net. Slowly, he carefully submerged it. I was surprised by his slow and steady movements; the water hardly rippled. Before I knew it, Ichigo's paper net was directly under the peach colored fish. Slowly, it began to rise to the surface.

"There; it wasn't that hard." Ichigo smirked, putting the peach colored fish safely in the bowl.

"That was amazing!" I exclaimed, grinning at Ichigo. "How did you do that?!"

"I told you to take it slow and steady. Well, that and you need to know how the fish moves before you attack." Ichigo explained, smirking down at me.

The owner of the stall smiled at us, and retrieved a small plastic bag. He took Ichigo's bowl, and slowly poured the water and the fish in it. Then, he tied it off and handed it to me. "Thank you for playing and enjoy the fish."

"Ah, thank you." I replied, bowing my head at him and smiling.

I grinned up at Ichigo, latching onto his arm as my grin slowly turned into a real smile. "And thank you, Ichigo! That was so nice of you to win me Momo!"

Ichigo flushed, immediately turning his head away. "I-It was nothing."

"No, it was something. Thank you!" I said, my smile growing as I looked down at the cute fish that was floating around in the clear plastic bag. "I've never had a pet fish before! Hm, if it wasn't peach colored then I'd definitely name it 'Strawberry.'"

Ichigo's face flushed even more, causing me to snicker.

"We still have a little bit of time left to kill, right?" I asked, "I still have more money left. Why don't we try some other games?"

"If you want to." Ichigo eventually said, shrugging his shoulder as he still looked away from me; I don't blame him. I was still latched onto his arm.

I could feel my smile turn into an evil grin as I nodded.

"'Course I want to! Come on, let's go!" I exclaimed, trailing my hands down his arm until I reached his hand. I pried it from his pocket and started to pull him with me. I looked back and up at his face, grinning once I saw how wide his eyes were. "Come on, you slow poke~!"

• • •

"It looks like the sun's about to set." Ichigo pointed out, looking up at the sky. "We should get going; they'll be starting the fireworks soon."

"Ah, right." I nodded, looking up at the sky as well. The sun was just about ready to set. Already the sky looked like it was a fiery red color.

Time sure had flown by.

Ichigo and I had played tons of other games. I now had a small collection of cute stuffed animals in my arms, along with my fish, and a couple of water yo-yos. That was fun; I had actually managed to get one on my own! First attempt too! I also had a mask on the corner of my head; I'd seen people walking around with them all day long, so I caved and bought one as well.

The mask that I bought was white with deep red vertical lines that trailed down the center, and one flanking on each side. The eye sockets were triangle shaped. I bought it because it reminded me of a Hollow mask, which I thought was kind of cool.

"JUN~!"

Before I knew it, Yuzu had come running at me and practically threw herself towards me. I was glad that I had good enough reflexes to keep my balance and not topple over. A fall wouldn't have been good for poor little Momo.

"Hey, Yuzu!" I sang, smiling down at the youngest Kurosaki sibling.

Yuzu grinned up at me, "You look so good in that yukata! I'm so glad that I found the perfect one~!"

"Mhm, I love it. You really did a nice job." I nodded, "By the way, I like your yukata, too."

"JUN~!" Karin yelled as well, latching herself on me as well.

"It's nice to see you too, Karin." I laughed a bit. This was strangely out of character for both of the girls; I don't remember them ever being this loud.

"They're drunk." Ichigo stated, prying Yuzu off of me and throwing her over his shoulder. Yuzu cheered and wrapped her arm around his neck and grinned.

"D-Drunk?" I stuttered, eyes widening in surprise. "How did they get drunk?!"

"Dad let them drink some juice that had been spiked by one of the vendors." Ichigo explained, rolling his eyes as Yuzu began poking his cheek and giggling. "He should have been paying more attention to what they drank!"

"Well, Yuzu and Karin are small. They probably only had a little bit of alcohol." I reasoned, staring down at Karin and taking in her partially flushed cheeks. I was used to seeing drunken people. Back in Soul Society, they'd regularly drink; just hanging out and having a nice time with each other.

"Yeah, well, that's still too much for them." Ichigo shook his head, grabbing Yuzu's hand and prying it away from his face. "They're too little to have any kind of alcohol."

"I agree." I laughed, watching as Karin took to happily spinning around. I knew she'd never do that sober, which made the sight all the more hilarious.

"Junko~!" Isshin, Ichigo's Father, called my name as he came tottering over. He had a bottle of sake in his hand and a big grin on his face. He was also dressed traditionally; I could even see the geta sandals that reminded me of Urahara.

"Good evening, Kurosaki-San." I answered, grinning up at him.

"Nonsense!" He exclaimed, shaking his head rapidly from side to side. "You can call me Isshin! Or you can call me Papa Kurosaki*~!"

"You don't have to call him that," Ichigo muttered, glaring at his crazy father.

I just laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good~!" Isshin grinned, and then noticed all of the plushies, water yo-yos, and fish in my arms. "I take it you had a good time at the festival?"

"Yes, I had an amazing time!" I exclaimed, grinning. "Ichigo and I played tons of games. I sucked at most of them, but Ichigo was a pro at like all of them. He even won me Momo!" I explained, tugging the bag of water that contained Momo up so Isshin could see him. "He's the first pet that I've ever had myself!"

"I'm proud of you son!" Isshin exclaimed, roughly clapping Ichigo on the shoulder as tears flowed down his face. Ichigo and I sweat-dropped at this, while I meekly laughed.

"Nii-San won you a fish?!" Yuzu asked, eyes sparking as she climbed down off of her brother. "I also got a pet! He's a balloon animal!"

Yuzu grinned as she pulled out her balloon animal, showing it to me. It was twisted into the form of a dog. Karin had a regular balloon, tied onto a string on her wrist.

"It's a very nice dog." I said, nodding as she shoved it in my face.

"Come on and sit down with us! The fireworks are about to start." Karin interrupted, grabbing my hand and tugging me over to the large blanket that was spread across the ground.

I grinned, softly sitting Momo's plastic bag down. I surrounded him with my plushies so he wouldn't fall over or roll away.

"Ichi-Nii, you've gotta come over here too~!" Karin called once we sat down, wildly waving towards her older brother.

I could see Ichigo's mouth moving; he was probably mumbling something not too nice under his breath. However, the strawberry then sighed and made his way over to us.

Chad, Keigo, and Mizuiro were sitting nearby. They weren't on a blanket or anything; they were just sitting on the grass.

"Did you guys enjoy the festival?" I asked, turning to the three males as Ichigo busied himself by sitting next to me. Yuzu sat on his other side, while Karin sat next to me.

"Of course! There were so many pretty women in kimonos..!" Keigo exclaimed, happily sighing. "But, of course, none of them compared to you in your kimono, Jun-Kun~!"

One heated glare from the strawberry shut Keigo up after that.

"I had a nice time as well," Mizuiro said, smiling at me. "I got a lot of phone numbers from the older women!"

"Good for you, Mizuiro." I said, sheepishly grinning. "And what about you Chad?"

"Mm," He nodded. "It was good."

BOOM~!

"Ah! It's starting! Look~!" Karin exclaimed, grabbing my hand and pointing to the sky.

"Amazing!" I breathed out, watching as the fireworks shot into the sky.

The fireworks shot up into the air, winding and twirling before they finally exploded. Then, their true colors and light shone through. The dark sky was illuminated once more; however, this time hues of all the colors lit up the sky. Even when I blinked, I could still see the colors beneath my eyelids.

I laughed, cheering along with the twins as the fireworks continued to be shot up into the sky.

It really was a beautiful sight.

And I wasn't freezing my butt off in the middle of winter.

"Better than winter fireworks?" Ichigo asked, leaning closer to me so I could hear him over everyone's cheers.

Grinning, I fervently nodded. "Definitely! I was just thinking about how much better this is."

Ichigo's eyes stayed on me, I could feel it. But, I wasn't paying him any attention; my gaze was stuck on the shimmering fireworks going off before me.

Gasping, I smiled. "Look! That one matches the color of your hair, Ichigo!"

Everyone heard my statement and began laughing at my outburst. Even Ichigo chuckled a bit, causing me to smile up at him.

The strawberry rolled his eyes, before bringing his large hand up to playfully rub the top of my head.

"Hey," I whined, "Not the hair~!"

"You'll live." Ichigo laughed, tugging my mask over my face.

I growled; he messed up my hair even further!

"Hm, keep on sounding like that and I might actually think you're a Hollow." Ichigo whispered, smirking down at me.

"Haha, do you think you could actually take me?" I questioned, quirking an eyebrow as I took the mask off. I then took the flower hair pin out, and undid the bun. My hair lay splayed across my shoulders in kinky curls from being up in a messy bun almost all day long. "Cause I don't think you can~!"

"Oh yeah?" He questioned, smirking down at me.

"Mhm." I nodded, evilly grinning as I proceeded to shoot my hair tie at him. "Bulls eye!" I cheered, watching as it bounced off of his forehead.

"You'll pay for that!" Ichigo threatened.

"Go Jun~!" Karin cheered from my other side, "You can totally beat Ichi-Nii!"

"I know I can!" I exclaimed, nodding at the small dark haired Kurosaki twin. "See, just watch~!"

Laughing, I took off running at an incredible speed. I had gotten quite faster during my days spent training with Ankoku-Tatsu; even while I was still in my human body.

I heard everyone cheering me on as I nimbly escaped from Ichigo's lunges. I giggled every time I seemed to slip from his fingers.

"Hear that, Ichigo?" I teased, looking back at him from over my shoulder as I stuck my tongue out at him. "Everyone's cheering me on. They want me to win~!"

"Well, they'll soon be congratulating me on the win!" Ichigo announced smirking down at me as he dug his feet deeper into the ground and gained speed.

My eyes widened; how did he get so fast in his human body?!

Damn him! He has longer legs! And a longer reach from his arms!

This was one opportunity where being 'petite' didn't come in handy.

I squealed as Ichigo's hands wound themselves around my waist; he effortlessly slung me over his shoulder as he spun around and waved at our friends and his family.

Orihime and Tatsuki had just shown up and started laughing at seeing me slung over Ichigo's shoulder. I pouted when he wouldn't let me down when we made our way back to the others.

"You almost had him, Jun!" Yuzu exclaimed, grinning up at me still slung over Ichigo's shoulders.

"Almost," I nodded, playfully slapping Ichigo's shoulder. "It's not fair though; he has longer arms and legs. That means he has a bigger stride than I do. So, that's like cheating!"

Ichigo scoffed, softly sitting me down in my former spot. "That's not cheating."

Sighing, I hung my head in mock defeat. "I guess not. That's just another example of how unkind the universe is to short people."

Everyone laughed at this, smiling at me. I felt so at ease around all of these people. I knew that this is where I belonged.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Three

• • •

It's times like these that I really didn't mind being an insomniac. Of course, it did take a toll on your sleeping patterns, sometimes made your emotions surge to the surface much quicker, but it was something that a person got used to over time. I found not sleeping better than reliving the memories.

Although, strangely enough, lately I haven't been having the nightmares like I used to. They were still there, but they didn't occur as often. And even when they didn't pop up, I still woke up around the same time as usual; routines were difficult to break.

That's why it wasn't out of character for me to be up and still moving around my apartment around twelve in the morning.

Even if I didn't have any memories plaguing my dreams, I still probably wouldn't be able to sleep at all; we were leaving for the Soul Society in a few hours.

"I'll miss you, Momo~." I cooed at the fish as I watch it lazily swimming around in the tank. I couldn't leave him in that plastic bag, oh no. Needless to say, the next morning I went out and bought a nice sized tank for the poor little fish. Now he could happily swim around.

Grinning, I screwed open the cap to the fish food. I slowly dropped some in, watching as Momo swam up to the surface and began eating.

"I hope you're still alive when I get back," I mused, sadly staring at the fish. "I've heard that fish like you don't live very long."

"Nonsense! I'll take good care of him while you're gone!" Paku exclaimed, jumping up onto the table next to the tank as she stared at the fish as well. "As long as Momo's properly cared for he'll live a nice long life!"

"Thank you," I murmured, grinning at the panda plushie before turning back to Momo. "If you do live, I'll have to cave and buy you a friend; you look so lonely swimming around by yourself."

Silence echoed around us, only to be broken by my freshly polished nails clicking against the wood of the table that held Momo's fish tank. I sighed as I pushed myself to my feet.

"Something wrong, Jun-Sama?" Paku asked, tilting her head as she looked up at me.

"No, I'm just getting a bit restless." I explained, "I think I'm going to go out on a walk before heading over to Urahara's at one."

"Alright," The panda plushie nodded. "Do you need to be in your soul form now, or later?"

"Mm," I hummed, thinking. "Probably now will be best. I don't know if I'll be coming back here before heading over to Urahara's."

"Alright!" Paku nodded, climbing down from the table before running over to her things. I watched as she pulled a heart shaped patch out, grinning as she ran back to me.

Luckily for her, Urahara had invented an easier way to remove a gikongan from a plushie; hence why she had that patch in her plushie arms. All you had to do was slap the patch on her head and pop! the pill fell out. It was a much better way than having to reach down her throat.

I watched as Paku slapped the patch to her forehead, her bright green pill flying out of her mouth. Nimbly, I caught the pill. Grinning down at it, I popped it into my own mouth and swallowed.

"Take care of the apartment for me, okay?" I asked, minutely adjusting my Zanpakuto at my hip. "Remember to feed Momo and make sure he lives. I promise I'll come back safe and sound."

"That's all I need you to say," Paku looked at me with a sympathetic expression. It was weird seeing my face look so sad. Hell, it was weird period just looking at my body walking around on its own. Paku shook her head, causing my hair to shake and frame my face. With a sigh, she easily strode over to me and wrapped her arms around me in a comforting hug. "All I wanted to hear was your determination of coming home safely. Now I know you'll come back safe and sound."

"Thanks," I thickly murmured, hugging her back for a second before I shook my head and pushed her away. "There's no need for you to be all depressed. I'll be back before you know it..!"

Paku shakily smiled, before dabbing away the tears that had appeared in her eyes. "Fine, I trust you. Go; I'll take care of everything here."

I grinned as well, waving at her one last time before I turned and phased through my wall.

Soundlessly, my sandaled feet met the pavement outside of my apartment and I grinned. I threw my hands up in the air and stretched a bit, letting my feet carry me wherever they chose to.

Even though it was drastically early in the morning, it was still kind of warm. The slight breeze felt good against my exposed skin, though.

I really will miss this town while I'm away.

I had decided that during the last week that I had spent with all of my friends. They believed that I was going to visit some of my old family overseas; some still believed that's where I lived for a majority of my childhood. Then again, only a few of my friends knew that overseas translated to the Soul Society…

And then again, there was still the possibility that they wouldn't let me come back here, to Karakura Town. If we couldn't save Rukia, then they'd come after me and capture me as well. I don't think I've done anything drastic enough for them to execute too; they'd probably just label me as a traitor and throw me in a jail cell for the rest of my existence.

Well, if we had failed to save Rukia, then I guess that I'd deserve to be thrown into a cell and forced to rot away for the rest of my life.

But let's not think about that. We are going to save Rukia.

No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

"Kokawa?"

"Hm?" I questioned, looking to the side as I passed a familiar looking tall, looming shadow. His reiatsu was easy for me to sense, even if it was still a bit new to me. "What're you doing out so late, Chad?"

The tall Mexican merely grunted out a reply as he moved to walk beside me. "Couldn't sleep."

"Same here," I sighed. "But it's not like it's any different; I hardly ever sleep. Although, I didn't expect to find you out here."

Chad was silent for a few minutes, before he spoke again. "Moving's better than just sitting around..."

"I think so, too." I nodded, softly grinning as I looked up at the moon.

We continued to just walk; I don't think either of us bothered with knowing where we were going. But Chad's company was welcomed. He seemed to keep all of my thoughts about failure away.

"Chad, do you mind if I ask you a question?" I asked, looking up at the giant walking beside me.

The male didn't respond, but continued to stare down at me. So, I took that as a sign to continue.

"Why are you going to Soul Society with us? Why risk your life to go and save Rukia? You two weren't exactly close…"

"…Ichigo wants to save her," Chad explained. "That's all the reason I need."

"You and Ichigo are really close, aren't you?" I softly asked.

Chad merely grunted in reply, causing me to smile.

"Well, it makes me happy that he has a friend like you." I spoke, smiling up at the giant. "Ichigo thinks very highly of you, too. I remember the whole parakeet incident…"

"You were there for that, weren't you?" Chad asked.

"Mhm," I nodded. "I was. But, that was back before you could see us in this form. Before your powers were awakened."

"Why are you going?" Chad asked, surprising me. I didn't take him as the talkative type. He seemed more like the strong, silent type.

"Why am I going?" I echoed his question, turning my gaze away from him to stare up at the moon once more. "Rukia is my best friend. She was my first friend, in fact. I'd easily risk my life to save her. She's helped me out countless times; many more times than she's aware of."

"So you feel indebted to her?" The giant beside me asked, looking down at me intensely.

"Slightly, but that's not the reason why I'm going to save her." I slowly said, shaking my head. "Friends help friends. Right?"

"Mm," Chad agreed, nodding his head. This caused his shaggy dark brown curls to bounce, making me smile a bit.

"So even if none of you guys went with me, I'd still go to the Soul Society by myself to help her." I spoke, running my fingers through my flat hair; I didn't see the point in teasing it. Who knew when I'd get to brush it again or even wash it? My fingers nimbly traced the tragus piercing on my left ear: it symbolized Rukia for me.

"That'd never happen…" Chad rumbled, moving his gaze to the moon as well as we continued to walk.

"Why would you think that?" I asked, furrowing my brows in confusion.

"Ichigo…" Chad simply stated, "He wouldn't let you go there alone."

"That may be a little bit true, but that'd never happen." I said, shaking my head. "Ichigo wants to save Rukia, too. He wants to go as well. I don't think he'd calmly stay here and wait while I left to go save her by myself."

"He'd go and help in any way he could." Chad agreed. "He cares too much about you to let you go by yourself."

I shot a skeptical look up to the giant Mexican that was still walking by my side. "We're barely considered good friends. I hated him when I first met him. After all, he was the one that had taken Rukia's powers."

"…Hated is past tense." Chad quietly observed.

I rolled my eyes, but I could feel my cheeks heat up. Chad was right; I had said hated, which is past tense. "Correct."

"So you are friends now." Chad nodded. If he wasn't so big, I swear I would have smacked him on the back of his head; if I could reach it, that is.

"Yes, we are friends." I admitted. "That's why I stopped calling him 'Kurosaki' a while ago. I do call him by his name now."

"He calls you by your first name as well." Chad pointed out.

"Mm," I nodded, got getting what he was trying to point out. "Everyone does. Well, in some form or the other."

"What does he call Orihime, then?"

"Um…" I hedged, racking my memory to try and remember. "Inoue-San?"

"Mm," Chad hummed. "Family name, not first."

"Well, he calls Tatsuki by her name." I pointed out, raising an eyebrow as I stared up at Chad. I had to defend my point.

"He's known her since they were little." Chad pointed out, negating my previous point.

Sighing, I crossed my arms. "I guess you have a point. But, I don't get what you're getting at. So what if he calls me by my first name?"

"Nothing," Chad murmured, lightly shaking his head.

"If you say so." I warily replied, looking up at the giant and lightly smiling.

We continued to walk in a comfortable silence after that, just enjoying the other's presence. It was better than walking the abandoned streets of Karakura Town alone.

"Hey, you know what?" I asked, looking around. "We're pretty close to Urahara's shop now."

"That's where I was heading." Chad spoke, looking down at me.

"Haha, really?" I asked, nervously laughing. "I was just randomly walking around."

It was quite funny seeing Chad with a deadpan look on his face.

"Ah?" I questioned. "Do you hear that?"

"Whistling?" Chad asked, looking around for the source of the sound as well.

"Aha! Look, that's what it is!" I exclaimed, pointing to something flying through the air straight at us.

"What…is it?" The giant Mexican questioned, furrowing his eyebrows and taking a defensive stance.

"It's getting closer…" I murmured, watching as it took on the shape of a small orb. It looked kind of like paintball. "Wait! It's got Urahara's face on it! Dunk!"

I collapsed to the ground, and Chad followed suit. The ball soared right over our heads before meeting with the ground with a huge splat.

"It's a message?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow as I read the kanji that were now splattered all over the road that we were once standing on.

"In blood?" Chad questioned.

"It looks like it." I nodded, "Urahara's doing, I bet. C'mon, let's get closer so we can read it."

Chad nodded, and walked with me closer to the dark splatter mark on the road.

"'Please come to the front of Urahara Shoten immediately.'" I read, rolling my eyes. "Well, come on, Chad. We'll be the first ones there."

"…Wait…" Chad cautioned, "There's a PS message."

"Knowing Urahara, it'll probably be an insult for not liking his method of summoning us." I said, waving him off as I walked towards the shoten.

"'PS: If you thought this was 'like a dying message' or something common like that… you have no sense of humor.'" Chad read off in his monotone voice, causing me to crack up laughing.

"Yep, Urahara definitely sent that message." I managed to say though my laughter. "I can hear his voice reading that..!"

Chad grunted, shaking his head as he ran to catch up with me.

"Looks like we're the first ones here." I said, looking around. It was deserted near the entrance. "They're not inside either; I don't sense their reiatsu yet."

There was a small box sitting in front of the store, and Chad motioned for me to sit down.

"No thanks." I said, grinning at him. "You sit down; maybe then you'll be closer to my height."

Chad's lips twitched at my attempt at a joke, but nodded and sat down anyway. I stretched once more, before leaning on the shoten's entrance.

We were silent once again while we waited for the others. Dejectedly, I noticed that Chad was still just a bit taller than me, even when he was sitting down on that box. I sighed, trying not to get depressed over my height.

Let's look at the bright side about being short:

You can fit in small places.

And, um… What else good was there about being short?!

Oh, well. At least I'm taller than a couple of people. I'm taller than Rukia. And Hitsugaya-Taicho; though, he wouldn't be too happy if he knew I was glad about being taller than him. And there was also Yachiru.

I was distracted from my thoughts when I heard thudding footsteps. It sounded like people were running.

"…Hello..!" Ichigo wheezed, panting a bit from his run.

"You…You…both must be so…fast," Orihime breathed, "Sado-Kun, Jun-Chan..!"

"Yeah," Chad nodded, standing up. "Neither one of us could sleep."

"And since we couldn't sleep, we each decided to take a walk. We were lucky we ran into each other." I explained, "Then we got Urahara's notice around here."

"Around here?" Ichigo asked, still breathing deeply. He looked a bit confused.

Chad grunted once more, then jerked his thumb in the direction of the splattered message that Urahara had hurled at us not too long ago. Ichigo's jaw dropped as he stared at the message.

"Oh, yeah." Ichigo nodded, turning to glance back at us. "Where's Ishida? I heard he's coming as well…"

"Really?" I asked, bringing my hand up to mess with my hair because the wind had blown it. "I didn't know he was coming."

Ichigo seemed to hear the low sound of twinkling metal, because his eyes landed on my hand. His cinnamon hued eyes took in the cross charm hanging off of the bracelet dangling from my left hand. I immediately dropped my hand, letting the sleeve of my Shihakusho cover the bracelet.

"Ah, Ishida will come!" Orihime exclaimed, smiling. "Just wait a little bit longer."

"…He won't come." Chad eventually said.

"Sado-Kun!" Orihime scolded, turning to look up at the giant.

"It's no big deal, Inoue." Chad reasoned. "Ishida… It's better if he doesn't come. Among us… he's the most complex. The more complex a person is, the weaker they are. That's who he is. So I think… he's the weakest among us. If he didn't come, maybe that would be better…"

We were silent for a few seconds as we stared up at Chad.

That was the longest I'd ever heard him speak. I mean, sure. He talked to me during our walk a little bit ago. But that didn't compare to how much he just said.

"…Who did you say won't come?" A voice asked, and we all turned to face the newcomer.

"Ishida?" We all questioned, turning to look at him.

Again, he was dressed in the white Quincy mantle. However, this time he added a cape. Spicing it up a little there, eh Ishida?

"Didn't I tell you? I can't forgive myself for losing to those Shinigami, so I had to train. Since I said that, then I won't stop until I win. For that, I'll go anywhere." Ishida stated as he walked over to us.

"…Ishida..!" Orihime beamed, shooting him her biggest smile as he joined our little circle. "Thank you!"

"You…You've misunderstood!" Ishida stuttered, "This has nothing to do with Kuchiki… Why can't you understand that?"

"It doesn't have to be about Kuchiki-San," Orihime shook her head, "It's the thought that counts, so I'm glad you're coming with us."

Ishida sighed, before smirking and turning towards Ichigo. "I also want you to see, Kurosaki! How strong I have become."

"…Ishida… You…" Ichigo began to say. "Did you walk all the way here wearing that weird clothing? You're very brave."

"...You?!" Ishida asked, outraged. "How can you say it's weird?!"

"Oh! Everyone is here! That's great!" Urahara exclaimed, smiling at all of us. "Next, come in and I'll explain to you guys how to go to the Soul Society. Please listen carefully. Otherwise, you guys might die before you arrive at Soul Society."

• • •

"This place looks the same as always." I mused, looking back behind me as I easily made my way down the ladder. After all, I don't see Urahara remodeling the huge desert training ground under his shop anytime soon. What else could you do to a desert?

"Huh?" Orihime asked, looking around in amazement after she climbed down after me. "This is amazing! I didn't know that there's such a large space underground! This is so cool! This seems like a secret underground base!"

"Really?" Ichigo asked with a blank expression on his face as Orihime happily clutched her hands together and looked around in awe. Chad and Ishida just uninterestedly looked around; they didn't express anything about the training area.

"You…Your reaction is so good!" Tessai cried, tears leaking from beneath his glasses as he bent down and took Orihime's hand in-between his two large ones. "I, Tessai, feel so touched!"

"Heh heh heh," Orihime sheepishly laughed, scratching the back of her head with her free hand as she smiled at the second giant man. "It's nothing!"

"Okay! Everybody!" Urahara called, trying to catch our attention. "Please look over here! We're about to go!"

Urahara snapped his fingers, summoning the doorway to the Soul Society that he'd spent the last seven days working on.

"Come, this is the door to the Soul Society. It's known as the Senkaimon [Tunnel World Gate]. Please listen carefully. I will now teach you the way to go through this door without dying." Urahara spoke, his gray eyes smoldering at us from the shadows casted by his hat. "Before that…"

Urahara steadied his cane, and with lightning quick moves he easily struck the back of Ichigo's head. Ichigo's soul came tumbling out while his body collapsed in a heap.

"Oh!" Orihime, Ishida, and Chad all cooed in surprise.

"He's been completely separated." Ishida noted, as they all bent down to look at Ichigo's discarded body. Chad was holding Ichigo's arms and sitting him up as Ishida and Orihime observed it.

"So, Kurosaki-Kun is no longer inside of Kurosaki-Kun?" Orihime asked, pointing at Ichigo's body and looking back and forth in-between it and Shinigami Ichigo.

"Of course not!" Ichigo exclaimed, scowling at his three friends that were ogling over his body. "Don't talk like I'm not here! Why are you guys freely touching my body?"

"That's right! That body will soon be temporarily mine!" Kon exclaimed, popping up from behind Shinigami Ichigo's shoulder and angrily waving his stuffed pat at us. "You guys should not just touch it!"

"Uwah!" Ichigo exclaimed, not expecting Kon to just randomly show up.

"Ah! But you can touch it, Inoue-San!" Kon exclaimed, happily waving as his eyes zeroed in on the auburn haired girl. His beady little eyes roamed over the other two guys before zeroing in on me as well. "And Jun-Kun is always welcomed to touch it, too~!"

"Kon…Kon!" Ichigo exclaimed, turning his head to glare at the stuffed lion plushie. "Why are you here?!"

I grinned as I watched the dumbstruck looks pass over Orihime and Ishida's faces; I would have loved to see how bad they freaked out once they heard Yoruichi talk. But, then again, she was at least a real live cat. Or should I say he?

"Ah? You're asking me why?" Kon asked. "Of course I'm going with you! You want to leave me behind?! As the man, Kon, I will go through all difficulties and reach the Soul Society… AH!"

"Pft!" I laughed, trying to contain myself. It was priceless..!

Chad had this dream like look on his face as he walked over towards Kon and grabbed his head. Slowly turning him around, Chad brought them up face to face. Kon's screams were hilarious.

"Wh-why are you here?!" Kon wailed, "N-N-Noooo~!"

"Okay, look over here! I'm starting the explanation of this door!" Urahara yelled, wildly waving his arms around to get our attention once more. Once we were all staring at him, he nodded. "Usually this door is made by adding reishihenkankon [spirit particle conversion machine] to the top of the Senkaimon."

"Reishihenkankon?" Ichigo questioned, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Yes," Urahara nodded. "As you already know, Soul Society is the world of the souls… In order to go in there, you have to be a soul. But, as you all know, the only two who can move around as souls are Kurosaki-San and Jun-Kun, who are both Shinigami. For others, even if their souls are separated from their bodies, they're still chained by the chain of fate. Not to mention go to the Soul Society, it's even hard to move. That's why there's a need for reishihenkankon! This thing changes the 'kishi,' which makes up things in the living world into 'reishi,' which is the main component of souls!"

"…So it means we don't have to separate the souls, we just have to go through this door." Ishida phrased, looking back and forth between the modified Senkaimon gate that Urahara constructed and Urahara himself.

"Right!" Urahara nodded, pointing his finger up in the air. "You guys can go to the Soul Society with your original form!"

"Okay, I got it." Ichigo nodded. "Then let's go in. Oh shit!"

"Now is the important topic~!" Urahara sang as he stabbed Ichigo in the side with the bottom of his cane.

I giggled at the strawberry's pain while Orihime lightly fussed about it. Ichigo merely staggered over to one of the oversized rocks and leaned against it, rubbing his sore side.

"That's right!" Urahara continued, "There's no problem with going through this door. Reishihenkankon won't bring pain; as long as you go forward, you can go to the Soul Society. The problem is 'time.' The time allowed to go through the Senkaimon to the Soul Society is only four minutes!"

"…Four minutes?" We collectively gasped.

"Once the time is up, the door will close, and you guys will be forever locked inside the Dangai [precipice/parsing world]. Plus, inside the 'Dangai,' in order to prevent enemies such as Hollows, it's filled with a current called the Kouryuu [wrestling flow], which can stop souls from moving. Just one foot caught by it and the chance of leaving the 'Dangai' in time is almost impossible."

"Then…" Orihime trailed off, "What should we do?"

"Just walk forward." Another voice joined in our conversation. A deep, throaty voice at that.

"…Yoruichi-San!" Orihime exclaimed, looking down at the black cat as it made its way towards our small group.

"Didn't I tell you? The heart and soul are connected. What's important is how your heart thinks. Only those that can do it may follow me." Yoruichi stated, casually striding over to the Senkaimon.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked, taking a step forwards so he was in front of our group. "Those who chose to gather here have made the decision and are determined to follow it!"

"You should know very well, boy. If you lose, then you will never return." Yoruichi ominously stated, turning her head to stare up at us with her gleaming golden eyes.

"Of course, we just have to win!" Ichigo said, his eyes brimming with determination.

"Well said." Yoruichi nodded.

We were soon blinded by a bright light; not exactly white, but it had light blue tints to it. Urahara and Tessai were beginning to open the Senkaimon.

"Are you ready?" Urahara asked, tilting his head to look at us. "The moment it's opened, you guys will dash in there."

"Got it," I said, lightly resting my hand on the hilt of Ankoku-Tatsu; I could feel her excitement. She was determined to save Rukia, too.

Ichigo nodded from beside me. "…Kon! Please take care of my family."

"Let's go!" Urahara exclaimed, as a gust of wind whipped through the area, lightly tousling his pale blonde hair.

Without any second doubts, we all ran towards the Senkaimon.


	35. Chapter Thirty-Four

• • •

Without any second doubts, we all ran into the Senkaimon.

I paused for a second to stare at my surroundings, before I remembered Urahara's warnings and took off running.

"Come on!" I heard Yoruichi scold the others as she took off running ahead of me. Her golden eyes blazed as she looked back at the rest of our group. "Don't zone out! Hurry and run! The Kouryuu [restrictive current] will close in!"

It was dark, but I could see the light from the other end; we knew we had to keep on running straight. However, what freaked me out were the crunching sounds that came from under our feet as we ran. It sounded like old bones snapping from too much pressure.

I didn't want to look back. I didn't want to see the progress that Kouryuu had made to catch up to us. However, not all of us were that smart.

"It… It really caught up to us!" Ishida exclaimed, looking behind his shoulder as the restricting currents closed in behind us. Nobody would be able to tell that we had been running from that direction. "The places that we've been through are collapsing!"

"If you have time to look back, then just run faster; idiots!" I exclaimed, not even attempting to look over my own shoulder as I pushed myself to run faster. I was beginning to feel a stitch in my side; I was glad, that gave me the motivation to keep trudging forward.

"Junko is correct!" Yoruichi said, raising her voice for all to hear. "If you get caught by the Kouryuu, it's all over!"

"AHH!" A majority of our group exclaimed, as a wave of the Kouryuu overflew from the top. It crashed to the ground like a wave, seeping even closer to the group.

I cut my eyes to the side to see the damage done; it was bad, it was really catching up to us!

"Uh? Wha!" Ishida exclaimed, being jerked back by the current.

"Ishida?!" Ichigo questioned, turning his head to look at Ishida as he got plucked off of his feet and was being drug backwards.

"It's got his cape!" I exclaimed. Even in this dim, deep purple light I could still see quite clearly.

"Idiot!" Ichigo seethed, putting his hand on his Zanpakuto's handle; I wouldn't call it a sheath anymore. In fact, this was the first time that I really paid attention to his new Zanpakuto.

It was a big improvement from his earlier one, that's for sure.

Although, it did kind of look like he was carrying a big butcher's knife.

"Hold on!" Yoruichi commanded, "Don't use your Zanpakuto! Kouryuu will trap souls! If you use your Zanpakuto, you will not be able to escape!"

"Then…Then what should I do?!" Ichigo yelled; hand still on his Zanpakuto as he threw a look at Yoruichi from over his shoulder.

It seemed like Chad had an idea.

Said giant ran straight for Ishida. He even managed to rip the cape clean down the middle, freeing the archer from the Kouryuu's grip.

"Ah, thanks!" Ishida said, looking up at Chad.

However, Chad had nothing to say. Instead, he just threw Ishida over his shoulder and took off running, despite the archer's protests. That earned Chad some more cool points in my books.

"Let's go…" Chad murmured, taking off at an incredible speed once more.

Ishida still managed to protest, irking me. "Wait guys! Look! Seems like… Something is coming!"

We all looked back in time to see a dull light not too far away. It seemed like it was coming from the center of the Kouryuu itself. However, whatever it was seemed to shine brighter the next second. Once it began shining brighter, it also sped up.

"What… What is that?!" Ishida exclaimed for us, as we were all still trying to run and look over our shoulders at the new arrival.

It was really tall, whatever it was. The first thing that popped into my mind was a train, with the way that it was speeding towards us. But, it kind of looked furry. Kind of like a hamster.

"That's Kototsu [wrestling surge]!" Yoruichi exclaimed, eyeing the thing. "The 'janitor' that only comes out every seven days… Why of all days, today?! Anyway, run! It's incredibly fast!"

"We don't need to be told that twice; come on, guys! Look, we can see the exit!" I exclaimed, arms pumping at my sides as I was slightly slumped so I could run faster.

"Hurry!" Yoruichi urged.

We ran in silence for a few seconds; the only sounds breaking it were our rugged breaths and the rumbling of Kototsu.

"It's over!" Ishida called out, "It's almost caught up..!"

I angled my head towards the side, my eyebrows narrowing at the few inches that separated it from Chad's heels; Chad was bringing up the rear of our small group.

Before we could resister what was happening, Orihime turned around and brought her hands up to her hairpins.

"Hinagiku! Baigon! Lily!" Orihime called, "Santen Kesshun! I reject!"

Swiftly, Orihime brought her hand out as three glowing lights erupted from her hairpins. The three lights floated to form the points of a triangle. The same glowing orange light connected all points, shading in the triangle shaped shield. It didn't take long for the Kototsu to come into contact with the shield; a huge eruption happened when it did, and we were all sent flying back and out of the Senkaimon's exit.

"Ah~." I moaned, lying on my back with one leg in the air and one arm bracing the ground underneath me. The landing hadn't been smooth at all; I couldn't control my landing.

"You alright, everyone?!" Orihime called out, sitting up into a proper sitting position as she looked all of us over. "Wha! Kurosaki-Kun's landing pose is so artistic~!"

I pulled myself up, slowly rotating my shoulders as I looked around.

"Haha, I think I agree with Orihime; you did land in quite an artistic way, Ichigo." I mused, giggling at the strawberry as he angled his head even further back to glare at me.

Somehow he had landed on his shoulders, but his neck was lying on the ground and he was looking up at the sky. His legs, which made his pose so artistic, were sticking up into the air and folded over towards his face. His knees were resting on the ground. It didn't look very comfortable, but it was laughable.

"Shut up," Ichigo glared at me, "You talk too much."

I just giggled as he threw his legs back and sat up as well.

"Ouch…" Ishida winced, rubbing his head. "I really… Didn't think we'd be this pathetic. It's totally unexpected." He sighed, "I didn't think I'd have to use the backup cape so soon…"

"He…brought a backup cape?" I asked, eyes wide as I looked up at Ichigo and Chad; each male had the same dumbstruck look on their face. I merely sighed, bringing my hand up to my forehead as I sighed.

"But, it's great!" Orihime exclaimed, smiling. "It looks like no one is hurt!"

"What's so good about that?!" Yoruichi exclaimed, launching him/herself at Orihime and head-butting her in the eye. "Did you even listen to what I said?! It's a good thing it's only the shield that got touched by Kototsu! If it was the main body of your Rikka, you would have been dead by now!"

"S-Sorry," Orihime muttered, sadly looking at Yoruichi as she took her scolding words to heart.

"It's okay, why do you have to be so angry?" Ichigo asked, crossing his arms as he scowled at the cat. "We're all okay because of Inoue!"

"You…seem as if you don't understand the current situation!" Yoruichi muttered, dangerously cutting her golden eyes as she glared at the strawberry.

"Oi! The smoke is clearing!" Ishida exclaimed as he hurriedly fixed the clasp around his neck for his new little cape.

The dust that had risen up at our sudden crash landing was beginning to dissipate, just like Ishida had pointed out. As it settled down, we were met with the sight of semi run down old homes. Not only did they look old, as in falling apart old, but they were also quite old fashioned, like most things in the Soul Society's era.

"This… This is the Soul Society?" Ichigo questioned, looking around.

"That's right," Yoruichi nodded, beginning to explain stuff to the group. "This place is known as the Rukon District, the Drifting Spirit Town. This is where souls first live upon coming to Soul Society, and is on the perimeter of Seireitei where Shinigami live. It's the poorest and most free area, but at the same time holding the most souls."

"Hm," Ishida hummed, looking around. "But we can't see anyone…"

"Huh?" Ichigo asked, his eyes catching something. "What's that? It looks so different on that side."

"Oh, that-" Yoruichi said, gazing at the freshly paved road.

"I got it! That's where the Shinigami live! The Sei-whatever!" Ichigo exclaimed, grinning. Then, he took off running! "Alright! I'm going first!"

"I-Idiot!" Yoruichi exclaimed, ogling at the strawberry; did he really have the audacity to straight out run towards the goal instead of sneaking?! "You can't just go near there! You'll die!"

"Er?" Ichigo questioned, turning his head so he stared back at us.

Before he could blink, he ran straight into the wall that had just lowered; the Seireitei's defense mechanism.

"Kurosaki-Kun!" Orihime called out in worry, clasping her hands over her mouth. However, she was soon covering her face like the rest of us as the rest of the large fence crashed into the earth, sending a rush of dirt and wind straight at us.

"Ichigo, are you alright?" I called out, not being able to see because of all of the dust. It would have been bad if we'd only been in Soul Society for the span of…what, five minutes?... and he was squished by a giant gate.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Ichigo managed to cough out, while covering his mouth so he wouldn't breathe in any more dust. I let out a sigh of relief that I didn't know I was holding in once the dust began to settle and I could see the bright orange shock of his hair. He really was fine.

"…It's been so long!" A voice called out, making all of us stand on guard. "Someone wants to go through the Seirei Gate without a travel permit." The gatekeeper jumped down into his defensive position in front of the gate, "I finally have something to do. I'll treat you well kid!"

All of our eyes widened as the rest of the dust cleared and we were left with a view of the giant who guarded the gate; and giant was putting it quite nicely. He looked like a blend between man and ape. His hair was tied into two low pony tails on each side of his neck, and I didn't know if it was hair or facial hair. On top of his head was a red, Chinese styled hat. This man's Shihakusho was sort of standard, if you considered the fact that they could make one that big standard. However, he was missing his right sleeve, which was fitted with some sort of armor.

Ah, no. That was his facial hair. His real hair was waist length and tied back into a low pony tail that streamed down his back. I could see this when he turned and withdrew an axe that was presumably his Zanpakuto. He hit the ground with the butt of the axe, sending another wave of earth, dirt, and wind flying at us all. However, Ichigo was the closest and was standing right next to the axe, the axe that was taller than himself!

"Come on!" The giant roared out in laughter, slowly lifting his axe back up. "Attack from whatever angle you want, kid."

"So big..!" Ishida breathed out, eyes wide as he stared at the giant. "Who is he?! He's too big to be human! Just what is he?"

"His name is Jidanbou!" Yoruichi explained to us, "He was chosen from among the best in the Soul Society. He's the guard of one of the four gates: The West Gate, generally called the Seirei Gate or the White Road Gate."  
"Guardian?" Ishida asked, his eyes narrowing on Jidanbou's form. "This means we must beat him to get inside the Seireitei?"

"That is right. But, it isn't going to be a simple task." Yoruichi explained, tearing her/his golden eyes off of Ichigo to look at us. "After all, he has been a guardian for three hundred years… Till now, nobody has ever passed him to enter the Seirei Gate."

"Is he really that strong?" I dryly asked, boredly looking up at the gatekeeper. "I mean, I know he's huge. But, that doesn't always translate into strength."

"Yes, Junko, he is strong." Yoruichi nodded, turning her/his golden gaze back to Ichigo. "One swing of his axe and you will disappear from this world. He is the legendary Hercules."

"So how do we defeat a guy like that?" Ishida questioned.

"That's where your intelligence comes in," The black cat answered. "I think, first, a meeting is in order to come up with a strategy. Retreat Ichigo! We will come up with a plan! Hey, Ichigo!"

Chad and Orihime rushed past us all, running straight for Ichigo.

Yoruichi's expression was priceless; I don't think I've ever seen a cat's eyes grow so huge and their jaw drop. "Hey! Chad! Orihime! Come back! Come back, both of you!"

However, the two of them didn't listen to Yoruichi. Instead they kept on running straight towards Jidanbou and Ichigo. My eyes narrowed as I watched: they could get in trouble quickly, they had so many openings! Did Yoruichi really train them? Granted, she was in her cat form then, so she couldn't have taught them much…but still!

I saw the minuscule twitches of Jidanbou's muscles, the way his fingers tightened around his axe. I knew what he was going to do, Chad and Orihime didn't.

Tisking in aggravation, I shook my head as I used Shunpo to appear in front of the duo. I knew I wouldn't be able to pull Chad back, so I settled for shoving Orihime behind me as the axe made contact with the earth mere inches from where we were standing. Chad seemed to understand that something was going to happen when I suddenly appeared from, to him, out of nowhere, so he was able to quickly angle his body so he didn't get hurt by any of the flying debris; in fact, he angled his body so that he was also shielding me and Orihime.

"...Ah," Orihime breathed out, lowering her arms as she looked over my shoulder at the large, jagged pieces of stone that had broken and stood upright in front of us all, forming what looked like a wall between Jidanbou, Ichigo, and the rest of us. "T-Thank you, Jun-Chan. I didn't see that coming."

I merely shrugged my shoulders, not moving my eyes from the wall in front of us as I smiled while I put my hand on the hilt of my Zanpakuto. "It was nothing. I was trained to pick up on the slightest hints of movements."

"Your behavior sickens me." Jidanbou voice drifted to us from above the wall of earth that he had just created. "Are you from an uncivilized area? Listen! This city has rules. First, wash your hands when you come back home. Second, you can't eat food that has fallen on the ground. Third, duel is nothing else but one-on-one."

"It seems like he's already picked his opponent." I stated, removing my hand from Ankoku-Tatsu's hilt.

"You're right, little one." Jidanbou called out grinning down at me. Orihime and Chad flinched, getting into defensive stances once more. I merely rolled my eyes; who was he to call me a little one? Everyone was small compared to him! "My first opponent is that spiked orange head, triangle eyed kid! Before I am finished with him, you guys standing there should be quiet. Since you are visitors here, you should follow the rules of the city."

"Inoue," Chad whispered, pointing at the wall in front of us. "I will make a hole in the wall… I want you and Junko to coordinate and attack him…"

"What are you guys doing?" Jidanbou questioned, turning back around to face the three of us once more. "Planning on a sneak attack?"

"He has surprisingly sharp ears…" Orihime sheepishly murmured, grinning. Chad and I could only nod in response, now wasn't the time to face fault.

"Hey! Chad! Jun! Inoue!" Ichigo exclaimed from the other side of the wall, catching our attention.

"Kurosaki-Kun?!" Orihime gushed, eyes widening. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?!"

"Oh, I'm okay!" Ichigo dumbly replied, making me roll my eyes. But, then again, of course he would be okay. Nothing else had happened to him after they'd rushed towards him idiotically.

"Hold on a second! We are almost there!" Orihime tried to encourage, while Chad and I merely looked at each other and shrugged. It'd take more than a second for us to get through this wall and to Ichigo.

"Ah, I just wanted to talk to you about that!" Ichigo yelled, "I want all of you guys to just stay there and don't do anything, alright?"

"What are you talking about, Kurosaki-Kun?" Orihime yelled with a pout on her face. "If-"

"Don't worry! Wait there!" Ichigo stated.

"What are you talking about?!" Ishida exclaimed, running towards the three of us and yelling over the wall. "You've seen for yourself how strong Jidanbou's power is! I don't care what you've learned in the past ten days… He is not the type you can handle by yourself!"

"…Ah, there you are, Ishida." Ichigo muttered, as if finally remembering that Ishida came with us.

"I've been here since the beginning!" Ishida yelled, angrily waving his fist in the air. "Do you want to piss me off?!"

"…You are so noisy…" Ichigo muttered yet again, and I could clearly picture him scowling and rolling his eyes.

"Can you fight?" Chad asked, looking up at the wall with a thoughtful expression on his face. He had so much trust in Ichigo… It's what their friendship was built on, after all.

"Possibly." Ichigo's voice answered.

"What the hell is possibly?!" Ishida yelled, "Don't you realize the situation you're in?!"

"Ah, so noisy…" Ichigo darkly muttered once more, causing me to laugh a bit despite our situation. I guess my hearing was as good as Jidanbou's. "I said, don't worry. Do you want to know what I've learned in the past ten days? I'll show you."

I grinned to myself; I wanted to see what he'd learned. Ten days spent training with Urahara? Ichigo better had be able to finish Jidanbou.

"The original plan was for me to recover in ten days. But actually I recovered by the fifth day. During the five days that I had left, what do you think I did?"

"What… What did you do?" Ishida stuttered out.

Really? He was the top in our class and he couldn't figure out what Ichigo would do with his spare time?

"Fighting of course, fighting!" Ichigo exclaimed. "In those five days, day and night! I fought with that Geta-Boshi guy!"

I lowly whistled; five entire days, from morning to night, spent fighting against Urahara? He'd take Jidanbou down easily now. I was sure of it.

"Ah… So he taught you all of the battle skills-"

"You're wrong!" Ichigo exclaimed. "He taught me absolutely nothing. But… Inexhaustible energy and courage… I am armed with both of them for the first time!"

The feel of Ichigo's reiatsu was comforting.

I smiled, nimbly turning and striding over to where Yoruichi was still standing with a dumbstruck look on her face. Chad, Orihime, and Ishida shot me questioning looks as I plopped down onto the ground and sat on my feet; I couldn't sit cross legged like I was used to because my Shihakusho was a skirt.

"J-Jun-Chan!" Orihime gasped, startled. "What are you doing?"

"I'm patiently waiting." I simply said, shrugging my shoulders. "Ichigo can take him. I know that. So, I'm not going to waste my time worrying. We'll hopefully be done with this in a few minutes."

"You're really laid back…" Ishida muttered, before sighing as they watched me stroke Yoruichi's fur to kill the time.

"I believe in him." I stated, "I wouldn't be here with him if I didn't."

Chad merely grunted in addition to my statement, making me smile at them.

"So, relax everyone. Ichigo has this."

As I said this, another burst of dust, debris, and wind flew from the top of the earth wall. Way to mock my words, Ichigo.

However, I closed my eyes and concentrated on listening.

"He stopped Jidanbou's axe with his Zanpakuto…" I murmured, feeling my eyebrows furrow from my concentration.

"Really?" Orihime asked, walking back towards me and looking at me with hopeful eyes, "Did Kurosaki-Kun really stop the giant's axe?"

"Yeah," I nodded, grinning at her before closing my eyes and listening again. "I know that sound; metal clashing against metal. Ichigo really blocked Jidanbou's axe that time."

"Wahahahaha~!"

"What's he laughing at?" Ishida questioned, sweat dropping as we all listened to Jidanbou's roaring laughter.

"It's been awhile since someone could block my axe!" Jidanbou exclaimed.

I smirked, "Told you so~."

"Take this!" Jidanbou yelled, once more attacking Ichigo.

Again, I could hear metal meet metal.

"Hehe!" Jidanbou laughed, "Great! You're still standing! I'm not finished yet! Now die! Jidanda Jippon Matsuri!"

"You're really just leaving this to Ichigo?" Yoruichi asked, golden eyes meeting my bright blue ones.

I merely shrugged, "Didn't you hear what I said before? I know Ichigo can handle this. I know he can do it."

"Is this really the same Junko that I know?" Yoruichi asked, a teasing tone in her deep, throaty voice. Everyone else wasn't paying us any attention. They were once more crowded around the earth wall anticipating what was happening between Jidanbou vs. Ichigo.

"Of course I'm the same Junko." I said, rolling my eyes as I looked down at Yoruichi. "What would make you think otherwise?"

"The Junko that I knew had a hard time opening up to anyone." Yoruichi said, still meeting my gaze head on. "It took forever for you to even get close to Kiskue. I didn't stay too long, but I knew that things would eventually work out. But, I didn't expect for you to let people into your life so easily. I'm just surprised that you trust someone that much."

"Mm," I nodded, watching as Jidanbou continued to attack and sent dust flying everywhere. "It's still difficult for me to let people in. My piercings, as you probably don't know, are proof of the people that I have let in." I sadly smiled, letting my hand brush up against all the piercings on my ears before finally lingering on the one in my lip. "Ichigo forced his way in, there's no doubt about that."

Yoruichi sent me a grin, and I could see the teasing glint in her golden orbs. I narrowed my eyes once I saw that look. I knew this wouldn't be good.

"You only said Ichigo. Do you not care of the others?" She asked, smirking at me.

"No, I care about them all. Some more than others," I said without even realizing it. Yoruichi must have taken that differently than I had hoped. I meant it along the lines that I'm closer to Ichigo and Orihime, but I'm still close with Chad. Ishida's a completely different case, though.

I smiled as I watched Jidanbou cut cleanly through the wall. Of course rocks went flying, but the wall was soon too unstable and eventually crumbled. Ichigo's familiar head of orange hair seemed to glow and stand out.

"He… He is still standing!" Orihime sighed in relief, turning around to grin at me. "Kurosaki-Kun's still standing..!"

Grinning, I spoke. "Didn't I tell you to believe in him?"

"Mhm," Orihime beamed, nodding. "You had faith in Ichigo. I believe in him, too. He can do this."

"Now, watch as Ichigo defeats that giant." I playfully ordered, pointing at the strawberry not too far away from us and now visible.

Jidanbou withdrew another axe, planning on using his final attack: Banzai Jidanda Matsuri. I only knew this because he screamed it once he powered up with his reiatsu and managed to break the armor off of his other arm. However, before Jidanbou could attack, Ichigo managed to destroy both axes, reducing them only to the hilts that the giant held.

The force of Ichigo's attack sent Jidanbou back, making the giant land flat on his back and stare up at the sky in disbelief.

"What…What happened?" The giant questioned, before quickly jumping up and standing back on his own two feet.

Jidanbou then went on to ask Ichigo if he thought that had defeated him, laughing all the while. However, then he looked at his axes…well, what was left of his axes…and began bawling like a huge baby.

"They're broken..! They're broken!" The giant yelled, bawling as he pounded the ground with his giant fists. "My axes are broken~!"

"Is he really crying?" I asked, watching as Yoruichi leaped up from my lap and onto a huge broken portion of one of Jidanbou's axes that had lodged into the ground not too far away from where we were sitting. I stood to my feet and dusted off the back of my legs while sighing.

"It sounds like a siren!" Orihime noted, blinking as I walked and stood in-between her and Chad.

"Er… it's a bit strange to say, but… Sorry… for breaking your axes…" Ichigo awkwardly stated, looking around sheepishly. "I shouldn't have broken both of your axes, should I?"

"You… You are such… You are such a good guy~!" Jidanbou exclaimed through his tears, shifting his watery gaze to Ichigo. "I am your foe… I lost the battle but you still care about me… You are such a great guy! You have such a generous personality!"

"Err… Well, when someone cries that much, anyone would want to console them." Ichigo said as Jidanbou reach forward and put his large hand on Ichigo's shoulder.

"Meanwhile I'm crying like a baby over mere axes…" Jidanbou stated, straightening up to his full height. "It's my loss," He sighed, hanging his head. "I lost completely! Both as a fighter and a man, I was utterly defeated!"

Jidanbou wiped his tears with his hands, while all of us exchanged confused glances with one another.

"It's been three hundred years since I became the guard of the Seirei Gate. I've never once lost! You are the first to defeat me! Go inside! I, Jidanbou, grant you my permission to pass through the Seirei Gate!"

"Oh," Ichigo stated, grinning up at the giant. "Are you serious?!"

"Can all of us really pass?" Ishida asked.

"Yes, your leader defeated me! A loser like me will not be able to stand in your way!" Jidanbou said, lightly bowing to us all.

"Ah! Did you say leader?!" Ishida exclaimed, unhappily pointed at Ichigo. "What?! Kurosaki is our leader? No way!"

"Why're you so upset?" Ichigo muttered, sweatdropping as he scowled at Ishida's overreactions.

"Is… your name Kurosaki?" Jidanbou questioned, looking down at Ichigo.

"Correct," Ichigo smirked up at the giant. "Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Ichigo, huh?" Jidanbou asked with a dreamy look on his face. "That's a cute name."

"Shut up!" Ichigo exclaimed, glaring. "Ichi means 'one,' and go stands for 'protect!' It's not cute!"

Jidanbou grinned. "Take care, Ichigo. I don't know the reason why you want to go through… The warriors inside are all powerful guys!"

"I know," Ichigo nodded, face set in determination.

"…I see… Then, you better be prepared." Jidanbou bent down, digging his fingers under the gate. "Alright, I'm opening the gate now. Don't be astonished…take a breath and rush inside!"

With a loud grunt, Jidanbou managed to forcefully raise the gate.

"Wow~!" We all cooed, eyes wide as we watched Jidanbou heave the large gate up.

"Amazing," Ichigo murmured.

"I didn't even know a gate that big could be lifted…" I remarked, staring at the gate and the gatekeeper with wide eyes.

Jidanbou stood there, not moving. It didn't look like he was even breathing.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you going in?" Ichigo questioned, rushing to Jidanbou's side. "Is there something wrong?"

"A-ah," Jidanbou stuttered out.

Someone was standing in the doorway. It was as if they were waiting for the gate to be opened. I squinted my eyes to see who the person was, but it was difficult to tell. They were almost obscured by the sunlight.

"Who is this guy?" Ichigo asked, eyes narrowing.

"Squad 3 Taicho…" Jidanbou stuttered, "Ichimaru Gin..!"

I froze.

A Taicho? And Ichimaru-Taicho, no less…

"Ah, this isn't allowed." The Taicho drawled, his sly smirk stretching even wider as his eyes, well closed eye slits, rested on us.

Jidanbou's arm was completely severed.

"That's too bad," Ichimaru-Taicho's smile widened even further, his hand still resting on the hilt of his Zanpakuto. "You're a gatekeeper. Openin' the door is not yer duty."

Jidanbou's severed arm was still flying through the air; eventually, it landed on the rooftops of one of the nearby houses. Blood wouldn't stop gushing from the wound. The giant grunted as he fell to one knee, managing to keep the gate open by letting it fall on his back.

"What… What the hell did he do?!" Ichigo questioned, wide eyed.

"Oh?" Ichimaru-Taicho questioned, "You can still hold the door, even with one hand? No wonder yer one of the elites in the Soul Society. However, ya still failed as a guardian."

"…Because I lost…" Jidanbou spoke, heavily breathing. "The guardian opens the door when he loses… It is only natural!"

"What idiotic rules are ya talkin' about?" Ichimaru-Taicho asked. "Ya misunderstood. Even if the guardian loses, the guardian may still not open the door. If the 'guardian' lost, then that would mean…death!"

Ichigo ran forward, clashing swords with Ichimaru.

He had blocked a killing blow meant for Jidanbou.

"Ichigo!" I exclaimed, eyes wide as I ran next to Jidanbou to watch the fight…or what I hoped wouldn't turn into a fight. Ichimaru-Taicho was strong. Although I had no doubts about Ichigo facing Jidanbou, I knew I couldn't be so sure if he was facing a Taicho.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Ichigo exclaimed, pointing his large Zanpakuto at Ichimaru-Taicho as they both few back a few feet and steadied themselves.

"Don't come in now and try to butt in, you fox bastard! Anyone who would attack an unarmed guy…will be killed by me!" Ichigo exclaimed, scowling at the silver haired Taicho before him.

"Ha!" Ichimaru-Taicho laughed. "Such an interestin' guy. Aren't ya afraid of me?"

"Absolutely not!" Ichigo roared, glaring at the Taicho.

"Oi!" Yoruichi yelled, "Stop messing around, Ichigo! Let's retreat first!"

"What for?! I just got started!" Ichigo exclaimed, turning and glaring at the black cat. I hissed to myself; he was turning his back to a Taicho! And not just any Taicho, but Ichimaru-Taicho: probably the sneakiest Taicho of all thirteen of them!

"So, you're Kurosaki Ichigo…?" Ichimaru-Taicho questioned.

"Do you know me?" Said strawberry questioned, turning to eye the silver haired Taicho.

"So… He does exist."

"Huh? Oi! Where are you going?!" Ichigo exclaimed as Ichimaru turned and began to walk away.

"If that's the case," Ichimaru-Taicho said, holding his Zanpakuto to the side, "Then I definitely can't let ya pass."

"Then why are you walking away?" Ichigo questioned, "Are you planning on throwing that wakizashi at me?"

"It's not a wakizashi." Ichimaru-Taicho said, his smirk never fading. "This is my Zanpakuto."

Quickly, Ichimaru-Taicho spun around. It looked like he was almost cradling his Zanpakuto the way he was hunched over with it.

"Ikorose, Shinso." Ichimaru-Taicho commanded, releasing the Shikai of his Zanpakuto. [Ikorose = Shoot to kill]

I didn't bother warning Ichigo; I knew that by the time I spoke, the attack would already be over. That much was proven when Ichimaru-Taicho severed Jidanbou's arm.

Luckily, Ichigo's reflexes were good enough for him to bring his Zanpakuto up and block. He was, however, knocked off of his feet and into the wounded Jidanbou's chest.

Jidanbou, who could barely hold the door open anymore, flew backwards. Orihime, Chad, Ishida, Yoruichi, and I dove out of the way as he flew past us and skidded on the ground.

"Ichigo!" I exclaimed, watching as he flew at a somewhat slower pace than Jidanbou.

"Kurosaki-Kun!" Orihime exclaimed as well, bringing her hands up to her mouth in horror.

"Oh no!" Yoruichi exclaimed, watching as the gate no longer stood open; it was quickly plummeting to the earth.

"The door is closing again!" I gasped, turning as well.

Ichimaru-Taicho walked towards the closing gate. As it fell past his head, he bent down to say visible. Ichimaru-Taicho had the audacity to wave at us as it closed. "Bye bye~! "


	36. Chapter Thirty-Five

• • •

"Bye bye~! " Ichimaru-Taicho teasingly called out, waving to us as the gate slammed shut and dug into the earth once more.

I glared at the closed gate, huffing in frustration.

"Kurosaki-Kun! Are you okay, Kurosaki-Kun?" Orihime questioned, running straight towards said strawberry.

Sighing, I flash stepped over by them, looking down at Ichigo just like they were; I successfully startled Orihime, but that didn't matter.

"Ichigo?" I asked, blinking down at him as he reached forward and grasped the hilt of his Zanpakuto.

"IT HURTS!" Ichigo roared, pushing his upper body off of the ground as he growled. The rest of us blinked, watching as he sat himself up. "Damn that punk! What is he?! He nearly killed me! Damn it… Ouch!"

"He sure is lively…" I muttered, rolling my eyes before I let them trail over him. "But, it doesn't look like he's injured. That's good."

"Safety first, Ichigo." Yoruichi stated, walking up to the strawberry.

"Yoruichi-San," Ichigo sighed, "Sorry. Because of me, the door-"

"Forget it." The black cat said, shaking her/his head. "There is no point in feeling bad about it now. Although the door is closed again, that was Ichimaru; even if you had passed through, the results would have still been the same. Be thankful you're not injured."

Scuffling noises met our ears.

"People..?" Ishida questioned, watching as residents stepped out of their homes to get a better look at us.

"Who are they?" Ichigo asked, "They were hiding all along?"

"Why?" Orihime questioned.

"Well, you can't really blame them." I said, shrugging as Yoruichi nodded to show that the cat agreed with me.

"Anyone that was not guided here by a Shinigami is considered an intruder, also known as Ryoka's. They are seen as the trouble makers of Soul Society." Yoruichi explained. "They were hiding because they were afraid."

"…Are they dangerous?" Ichigo questioned, looking down at Yoruichi for the answer.

"Well, they are showing themselves before us… So, probably not."

"Excuse me!" A small voice called out, "Sorry! Excuse me! Pardon me!"

A small child was making their way through the growing crowd.

"M-Mister! Long time no see!" The small boy exclaimed, smiling up at us waving; however, he was looking straight at Chad. "It's me! The parakeet, Shibata!"

"Shi…Shibata?!" Chad exclaimed, his one visible eye widening in surprise.

I softly smiled, watching as Shibata ran up to Chad. Their difference in height was quite comical; although, anyone could see how happy the little boy was from seeing the human giant once more. However, my attention was soon captured as I watched a group of the townsmen trying to get Jidanbou's severed arm from the rooftop that it had landed on.

It didn't take too long for them to accomplish their mission: they had actually used rope to form a sort of pulley system to lower it back to the ground. Orihime had ordered them to fetch the arm because she was going to try and heal it back. They were also attempting to tug it across the ground and over to Jidanbou's limp body, but they weren't moving very quickly. The rather large gatekeeper was still profusely bleeding.

 _"_ _You can help, you know."_ Ankoku-Tatsu's voice played out in my head. _"_ _You've been getting better at your shadow manipulation; it's close to that of what you'll be able to do in Bankai. However, try to control the shadows to weave around his arm and tug with all of your might. You should be able to move his arm easily."_

Smirking, I muttered a quick 'thanks' under my breath and took off with a flash step. Appearing in front of the men moving the arm, I startled them so bad that they dropped their hold on the ropes.

"Hehe, I'm sorry for startling you." I apologized, slightly bowing at the waist as I slowly smiled at them. "I would like to try and help, if I may."

"Well," One of the men hedged, looking at the others for help. "You can try and help if you want to. I don't know how much help you'll be."

"Oh, no need to worry." I hastily said, waving at them in a dismissive manner. "You guys won't even have to lift a finger, hopefully."

"What do you mean?" Another one of the bulkier men piped in, seemingly scowling at me.

"Just watch," I replied, gracefully pulling Ankoku-Tatsu from my hilt as I jumped backwards into the shadows that the shabby buildings cast. "Sorera no ue ni kagekyasuto, Ankoku-Tatsu!" I exclaimed [which translates to; "Cast your shadow over them, Ankoku-Tatsu!"].

Everyone peered back at me, watching in awe as the shadows seemed to leap from the ground and tightly wrapped around the blade of my sword, staining it a deep black. The golden triangle shaped hilt slowly began to glow until it was a bright crimson color, eerily standing out from the surrounding shadows. The previously red cloth wrapped around the grip was now black, but the small black ribbon had switched to the crimson red and rapidly grew in length.

"Jun?" Ichigo asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

That's right, I thought with a smirk, I don't think that Ichigo's ever seen me release my Zanpakuto. The previous time I had around him had been when Grand Fisher had wounded him and I healed him up; of course, he was passed out by that point.

"Just watch, Ichigo." I replied, lifting my sword to the side as my eyes began to glow with an eerie red tint from focusing on my reiatsu. "This is the ability of my Zanpakuto."

The shadows around me began to dance around, willingly submitting to my control. Of course, these were only the shadows of buildings. Living people's shadows tended to fight back more. I narrowed my eyes in concentration as they leapt up from the ground, forming what seemed to be solid dark winding shapes. Without any movement from me, the shadows willingly darted forward, wrapping and binding themselves around Jidanbou's severed arm.

Everyone gasped as the shadows began easily pulling the severed arm back to Jidanbou's body; to them it must have looked like someone just leading a dog around on a leash. However, if it hadn't been for those days completely set aside for training, I wouldn't have been able to do this.

"Amazing~!" Orihime cheered, watching as the shadows gently nestled the arm back to its rightful place. "I didn't know you could do things like that, Jun-Chan!"

I gently smiled at them all, walking out of the shadows as I released the ones around the arm from my will. They faded away like smoke, as did the ones surrounding my Zanpakuto before I sheathed it.

"It's not that great," I replied, offhandedly shaking my head. "I mean, it's great in situations like these, but it's more difficult to use in a fight."

Orihime's smile slightly faltered when I brought up using it in fights but she didn't press any further about her wishes of not fighting. "Thank you, Jun-Chan. You've saved us a lot of precious time. Now, I'll make sure to tend to Jidanbou-San until he's well."

Shaking my hand once more in the air dismissively, I frowned. "No need to thank me, Orihime. If you can really heal his arm, then you'll be the one needing all of the thanks."

The auburn haired girl sighed, sadly shaking her head. However, she just walked towards the fallen giant and raised one of her hands gracefully to the hairpins in her hair. "Shuno, Ayame! Soten Kisshun! I reject!"

Like earlier when she had formed the shield, pieces of light floated from her hairpins. However, this time, there were only two sources. Each of them floated over to the wound, floating directly from across each other. Then, with a blinding light, they formed an oval like shield.

Orihime looked like she had the situation under control, so I stretched and leaned back against the wall of a nearby house. My sudden movements seemed to have caught Ichigo's attention, seeing as how his cinnamon eyes moved from the glowing shield to settle on me. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by a person on his other side speaking up.

"A lot of Shinigami are jerks, but… Jidanbou is from the alley, too. So he is very nice to us." The spirit said, crossing his arms as he turned his head away from Jidanbou and towards Ichigo and me. "Seeing you go against Ichimaru Gin for Jidanbou… And seeing you help try and save his arm… You both must be nice people, too."

Ichigo looked uncomfortable, like this was one of the first times that he had ever received a compliment. He sighed, bringing his hand up to his face to nervously scratch his cheek. "It was nothing, really."

Rolling my eyes, I elbowed the strawberry in the side before leaning forward and looking around him so I could see the soul. "He means to say that he did it without a second thought; it was the right thing to do, so he did it. That's just the kind of person he is."

The soul chuckled a bit at my reply, which caused Ichigo to faintly blush and scowl down at me. I just ignored the look at beamed up at the soul.

• • •

"Good; everyone's here."

I looked up from my seated position next to Yoruichi, watching as Ichigo walked back into the hut that we'd be staying in with Orihime in tow. Ishida was standing next to the door, waiting for them to return as well.

Orihime had yet to fully heal Jidanbou's wound completely. However, she needed to be here as we discussed our next strategy. Because of that, I had suggested that Ichigo go and get her.

That didn't stop him from complaining about it, though. He didn't understand why he had to be the one to go and get her; he didn't know that she had a huge crush on him and he would be the one she would most likely listen to. And after a rather intense glare from me, Ichigo scurried out of the hut to go and get Orihime.

"Come and sit." Yoruichi commanded, turning to look at everyone. She was seated across from the Elder that had kindly lent us lodging in his home for the night. "I want to discuss our plan for tonight and tomorrow."

"Alright," Ichigo nodded, walking over and claiming the seat on the ground next to me. I looked up and smiled at him, before setting my gaze back on the hand drawn map that was spread across the center of the floor.

"First, once the door has been opened, the security behind the door will increase dramatically." Yoruichi explained, as the Elder pointed to the gate that we had crashed on the map with a pointer. There was a big 'X' drawn over it, and a large circular area that expanded from inside of the gate that was shaded in; that was supposed to represent the added security.

"So then fighting the guardian for passage won't work anymore?" Ishida asked from his position next to Orihime.

Yoruichi shook her/his cat-like head. "Breaking in like that was never a good idea in the first place! It was this idiot's recklessness!"

I laughed out loud, quickly bringing my hands up to cover my mouth and try to muffle the sound. However, Ichigo turned to glare at me after his shocked face faded; after all, Yoruichi's tail did straighten out to point directly at the strawberry.

"Anyways," Yoruichi continued, shooting me a look that said to shut up, "We won't be able to use that gate anymore."

"What about the other gates?" Chad brought up.

"They are at least ten days away. We would be wasting a lot of time just going there." Yoruichi explained, shooting down the giant's idea.

"Then how are we going to…?" Ishida asked, eyes widening.

Yoruichi cut her golden eyes straight at Ishida. "Don't worry. If we can't go in using the gate entrance…We'll just go in without using the gate entrance."

"Without…using the gate?!" Ichigo exclaimed in surprise as we all turned to look down at the small black cat as if it had lost its mind. How else were we going to get in?

"Elder-Dono," Yoruichi spoke, turning to look towards the kind-hearted elder of the Rukon District. "Shiba Kukaku. Do you know where Shiba-San is?"

The Elder's mouth merely dropped at the question, his small eyes widening from behind his wrinkles.

"In the past the place used to be somewhere around here, but… Since Shiba is a drifter, there is a chance that…" Yoruichi began, only to trail off in silence as she stared up at the Elder.

"Shiba…Kukaku." The Elder stated, "Can it be that… You plan to go into the city through 'that'..?"

"What do you mea-" Ichigo began to ask, but his voice was drowned out by a loud, thundering noise.

"What's that sound?" I asked, voicing the question that was on everyone's mind as we all looked around to try and find the source.

After a few more seconds, the sound stopped.

However, it was then that a person was thrown through the Elder's door, knocking it down as they came flying through it.

"WAHHH~!" The intruder screamed, landing on the ground and skidding over towards us. We all leapt to our feet and scurried out of the way.

"Who is that?!" Ichigo exclaimed, angling his body so that I was partially hidden from view if the person stood up to look around. However, I bent to the side to peer from behind him.

A wild pig then walked in through the door next; although, I wasn't too sure that it was completely wild because it had a large pink bow tied into the hair coming from its back.

"It's a wild boar!" Ichigo exclaimed, his jaw dropping in shock. "A wild boar ran in!"

"Ahh… I got thrown off by my pig again…" The intruder groaned, slowly standing up and brushing the dirt off of his pants. "Yo! Long time no see, Jiji!" [Jiji = less respective way to say 'Old Man']

"Ganju, what are you doing here?" The Elder asked, standing up. "Go back home!"

"Some greeting! I come to visit after a long time and I get that?" The intruder, now known as 'Ganju,' said as he placed a hand on his hip. "You're scaring the guests, don't be so impolite…"

"That's because of you!" The Elder exclaimed.

"Wait a minute…" Ganju muttered, as his eyes scanned the room and landed on me and Ichigo.

"What?" I asked, blinking as I angled my head further from behind Ichigo's back, trying to get a better look at whatever he was looking at.

"What are you staring at?" Ichigo asked, his eyebrows narrowing in his usual scowl as his cinnamon eyes were trained on the newcomer. I blinked, looking back and forth between the two of them; it was such a tense atmosphere.

"What the?!" Ganju exclaimed, pulling his sunglasses off to get a better look, "What are punk ass Shinigami's doing in here?!"

"What?" Ichigo asked, defiantly staring back at Ganju.

"Not 'what'!" Ganju exclaimed, stepping closer to the two of us and standing in front of Ichigo. Ganju's eyes cut to my form for a second, catching the strawberry's attention. Ichigo, being the protective person that he is, gently shoved me further back behind him. "I asked you a question: What are punk ass Shinigami's doing in a place like this?!"

Ganju inched closer to Ichigo with each word of his question. He even had the nerve to tap Ichigo's cheek with his hand, further aggravating the strawberry.

"Huh?" Ichigo merely questioned as Ganju's hand stayed on his cheek; I could see the vein on his forehead beginning to throb.

"Huh?!" Ganju questioned back, eye twitching at Ichigo's lack of response. The man merely sneered, grabbing Ichigo's chin. "Say something, Dandelion Head-!"

Ichigo said something, alright; well, his fists did the talking.

Ichigo managed to land a direct punch on Ganju's jaw, sending him flying across the room once more.

"Why the heck did you punch me, Dandelion Head?!" Ganju exclaimed, sitting up and clutching his jaw. "Are you trying to pick a fight with me?! Huh?!"

"That's my line!" Ichigo exclaimed, balling his hand into a fist as it shook with anger. "Suddenly barging in here and trying to provoke me like that! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Well, looks like they're going to fight." I murmured, crossing my arms across my chest as I walked over to stand beside Orihime and Ishida, who were out of the way of the fight.

"What should we do?" Orihime asked, turning her head to look at me. "We have to stop them!"

The Elder merely sighed, "…Just as I thought…"

"What do you mean, 'Just as you thought…'?" Ishida questioned the Elder, thrusting a finger in Ganju's direction. "Who is that, Elder-Dono?"

"What? You really don't know who I am?" Ganju questioned.

"I don't." Ishida replied, pushing up his glasses.

"Neither do I." Orihime said, shaking her head.

"Don't know." Chad said.

"How should I know?" I questioned, shaking my head and rolling my eyes.

"I don't even wanna know." Ichigo replied, scowling.

"Hah, then it can't be helped. I'll tell you!" Ganju said, dramatically pointing to himself with both of his thumbs. "My name is Ganju! Self-Proclaimed Crimson Bullet of West Rukon District! Self-Proclaimed the most 'want-to-call-you-big-brother' candidate for fourteen years running! And..! Self-Proclaimed West Rukongai's Number One Shinigami Hater!"

They're all self-proclaimed?!

What an idiot!

"Hah, you're hopeless." Ichigo scoffed.

"What?"

"What?"

With a battle cry, Ganju ran towards Ichigo and slammed into his stomach. Both were sent flying out of the doorway and into the street.

"Kurosaki-Kun!" Orihime exclaimed, rushing over to the doorway along with Ishida. I merely sighed, shaking my head as I followed after them; although, knowing them, they probably wouldn't be dragged into the fight.

"Hold it~!" A voice called out, causing all of us to stop. "We won't let you get in Aniki's way!" [Aniki = Big Brother]

"If you really want to get involved in this fight…"

"We'll be your opponents."

Ganju's friends crowded the doorway, blocking our view of the fight. Although, it didn't help matters when we saw that they were all riding boars as well, considering that I wasn't focused on a fight any more. I just wanted to laugh.

"So you guys are that Ganju's underlings…" Ishida said, narrowing his eyebrows as he stared up at them.

"Wow," Orihime breathed.

"All of them are riding on boars." Chad pointed out, appearing behind me. I nodded, busting out in laughter.

"Get out of here!" Ganju exclaimed, stomping his sandal clad foot on the ground to emphasize his point. "While I'm alive, no Shinigami will be allowed to step foot in West Rukongai!"

Ichigo's foot swiftly came up, nailing Ganju in the face.

"AHH!" Ganju and his friends chorused, almost in sync.

"Aniki!" One of his friends cried out, worried.

"That's enough," Ichigo said, standing up and rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "You didn't even hear me out! And you just go around hitting people… Even if you really wanted to fight me, you're not good enough to be my opponent."

"Punk!" Ganju exclaimed, standing back up and clutching his face with his hand, "That was twice in a row that you've punched my handsome face..!"

"I kicked you the second time, idiot!" Ichigo retorted.

"Oi! Stop it, Ichigo!" Yoruichi yelled, running out from the house. "Don't waste your energy on a useless fight!"

"He was the one who started it. You should tell him that." Ichigo growled, scowling at Ganju. Yoruichi only scoffed at his childish behavior.

"It seems like we're destined to fight, you and me." Ganju drawled out, unsheathing a very short sword from his back. It looked like it should have been a regular sword, only it had somehow been cut straight down because it had such a smooth vertical edge.

"Stop, Ganju!" The Elder commanded, "He is not an evil Shinigami!"

"Shut up!" Ganju roared, turning around to glare at the Elder. "Shinigami are Shinigami. There's no good or bad."

"Ganju…" The Elder softly spoke, his eyes softening.

"Here I come, Shinigami!" Ganju exclaimed, beginning to run toward Ichigo with his short sword ready.

"Ichigo doesn't have his Zanpakuto!" I observed, my eyes widening when I didn't see the large, cleaver like sword in his hands.

"Hold on, I'll make a shield!" Orihime stated, holding her hands out in front of her. However, she didn't need to; Ichigo's Zanpakuto was soon flying above our heads, aimed at Ichigo.

"Thanks, Chad!" Ichigo said, catching his Zanpakuto by its handle without even looking.

I could feel my jaw drop in amazement as I watched Ichigo skillfully spin around, aiming his Zanpakuto at Ganju. I found it utterly amazing as the wrappings around his Zanpakuto managed to loosen at once, falling away from the sword and shortening as it circled Ichigo.

Was Ichigo always this amazing?

"Huge! So that's your Zanpakuto! However," Ganju said, being parried by Ichigo's sword and stopped. "Don't assume that with a larger sword you'll be able to beat me!"

Ganju's foot spun around on the ground. I normally wouldn't have picked this up, but my eyes were well adjusted to the darkness outside. Not to mention that fighters usually wouldn't move their feet while they were being parried like that. His foot finished the circle, then he stomped the ground.

Smirking, Ganju grabbed the flat edge of Ichigo's Zanpakuto and easily pushed it into the earth. But, it didn't look like regular dirt that it was being pushed into; no, it went down smoothly and quickly.

"Sink!" Ganju commanded, still pushing down on Ichigo's Zanpakuto. Soon, it was almost all pushed into the earth, save for a few inches from the grip down.

"W-What's going on?!" Ichigo exclaimed, confused.

"The ground!" Ishida noted.

"It's like quicksand!" Orihime said, nodding.

"Ichigo! Look out!" I exclaimed, reading Ganju's movements quickly and figuring out that he was going to attack now that Ichigo was unarmed and full of openings.

Halfway through my sentence, however, Ganju had already moved and successfully landed a kick to the side of Ichigo's head. Ichigo was sent skidding back a couple of feet, although he managed to quickly steady himself.

"Why you!" Ichigo scoffed, wiping away some of the dirt smeared on his face. "Using weird tricks!"

Ganju rushed forward once more, planning on landing a few more critical attacks while Ichigo remained unarmed. However, Ichigo was on guard now and managed to block his attacks with his arm; forearm stopping forearm. In the blink of an eye, Ichigo saw an opening and attacked, punching Ganju in the face once more.

"How's that? That punch hurt, didn't it?!" Ichigo asked, smirking at Ganju. "Before middle school, I was stronger than Tatsuki in karate!"

I felt my eyes widen; he was stronger than Tatsuki back then? That was a few years ago. And Tatsuki was really strong! Besides, he trained with Urahara for days… and Urahara was a master of hand to hand combat.

"Damn it!" Ganju cursed, coming at the strawberry once more.

Ichigo caught Ganju's wrist easily, another punch coming in contact with Ganju's face again. I had noticed that Ganju's nose looked like it had been broken before, but now I didn't think it had any hope of ever looking normal.

"That punch just now didn't knock him out…?" Ichigo asked, shaking his smarting hand to try and regain feeling in it once more. "This guy is tough…"

"Punk!" Ganju scoffed, trying to wipe away the blood that was flowing from his, probably broken, nose. He began to charge Ichigo once more, but was interrupted by a loud ringing noise which caused him to stop.

"No..!" One of Ganju's friends still on the boar exclaimed. "Bad news, Aniki!"

"It's already nine o'clock!" Another one of them exclaimed, looking at the large clock strapped onto one of the other follower's backs.

"What?!" Ganju exclaimed, turning around and looking at them with wide eyes. "Nine o'clock?! Oh, no! Come over here, Bonnie-Chan!"

Ganju whistled for his boar, looking all around for her.

I blinked, hearing the thudding sound of its hooves.

My eyes widened as I saw it jump over Ichigo; its hooves barely missed his hair. Truthfully, I thought I could see a few hairs flying through the air.

Bonnie-Chan, the boar, collided with Ganju and sent him flying back once more. I'm guessing they had a love-hate relationship… Bonnie-Chan didn't seem to like Ganju that much. Not that I'd like Ganju, either. The boar had my respect.

"Hm… Bonnie-Chan, you're the same as ever…" Ganju muttered, sitting up and wiping away some of the blood and dirt on his face. "We're running out of time, so we have to move!"

"Oi..! Don't go!" Ichigo exclaimed, "Are you running away?!"

"Did I say I'm gonna run away, Dandelion Head?!" Ganju yelled from his spot on the boars back, "I just have some place that I have to be. Wait here until I come back!" Ganju then smirked, pointing at Ichigo. "Don't you run away like cotton in the wind! Let's go everyone!"

"Huh?!" Ichigo questioned, his left eye twitching in annoyance. "Cut the crap! That's my line!" Ichigo dramatically pointed at them, but they were now only small flecks in the horizon. "…They're all gone…"

"That was such a disaster, Ichigo." I sighed, shaking my head.

"Take it easy, Kurosaki." Ishida said, clapping the strawberry on the shoulder as he also stared off into the horizon.

"I'm gonna kill him!" Ichigo roared, the vein on his forehead wildly throbbing. "Just who the hell was he?!"


	37. Chapter Thirty-Six

• • •

"I apologize for the shabby lodgings." Elder-Dono said regretfully, bowing his head slightly as he looked at all of us.

He had transformed a nice, wide room for us. It wasn't that bad; it was probably the best place for us to stay in Rukongai as a whole. I'm sure that this was the largest room anywhere, not counting the Seireitei.

"No, we're thankful that you're letting us stay here." Yoruichi said, turning to stare up at the Elder with her golden eyes. "I'm not sure the others would like housing any of us."

"Ah, it is no trouble for me." The Elder replied, kindly smiling down at Yoruichi. "This is all that I can offer. I've had some of the others prepare the lodgings for the night."

We all nodded at his words, seeing blankets spread out in comfortable looking masses on the ground. Of course this was more than I was expecting, though. I was honestly expecting to sleep leaning against the wall or something; that is, if I could get any sleep at all.

"Good night, everyone." The Elder wished us, lightly bowing before he exited the room after we chorused back a 'good night' to him as well.

I walked over to the bedding closest to the door, sitting down and making myself comfortable. The others looked around, not knowing what to do. I grinned as I watched Yoruichi make herself at home in the smallest pile of blankets. They had probably prepared that small pile with her in mind.

"It'd be best for you all to get a good night's rest." Yoruichi advised, cracking open a golden eye as she stared down the rest of the group just awkwardly standing there. "Tomorrow we are leaving bright and early to find Shiba-San."

"Yeah," Ichigo said, nodding his head as if he understood.

I rolled my eyes as they hesitantly moved forward, wondering who was going to sleep where. Ichigo heaved a sigh before claiming the one that was next to mine. Orihime claimed the one on Ichigo's other side, while Ishida had the one across from her, and Chad had the one directly across from Ichigo. Yoruichi's was across from mine, so we lined up in neat little rows.

I removed Ankoku-Tatsu from her place on my hip, softly sitting her down in the space between mine and Ichigo's blankets. I could feel Ichigo's eyes on me, watching my movements. I didn't pay him any attention, though, as I began untying my sandals so I could remove them and my thigh high socks. I could see the others start removing their own sandals and shoes as well, trying to get comfortable.

Ichigo removed his sandals, opting to leave his tabi socks on. I couldn't help but grin when he put them next to mine; the difference in size was almost comical.

"Jun-Chan," Orihime began, settling down in her covers and looking over at me with curious eyes. "Why does your uniform look so different from all of the others?"

"I'm asked that question a lot." I laughed, pulling my long socks off and folding them so they wouldn't look like a mess in the morning. I wiggled my toes a little, watching the light glisten off of the paint on my toenails. "I guess I just wanted to look a little different."

"Different?" Orihime questioned further.

"Yeah," I nodded, softly smiling. "Once you go into the Seireitei, all you see is the same black uniform. There's hardly any variation, except for the few brave ones that decide to change the uniform around a bit." I laughed, grinning. "But, after a bit, it just gets so dull seeing everything around you looking the same. So I decided to spice it up a bit and add a splash of color."

Orihime giggled at my words, softly smiling as well as she propped her head up with her hands. "Well, you do add color Jun-Chan."

"Thanks." I softly laughed, stretching a bit.

A yawn escaped from my lips, and I suddenly felt drained. Shrugging a bit to myself at that weird feeling, I hardly ever felt like I could actually get a decent amount of sleep, I tugged at my sash on the side. The large bow slipped apart, letting the soft fabric fall to the floor. I grabbed it, gently folding it as well as I placed it on top of my socks. I untied the old white headband that I kept wrapped around my upper left arm, placing that on top of my sash. Then, I shrugged out of my black kosode and began folding that as well.

"Why are you taking your clothes off?!" Ichigo exclaimed, his eyes widening as they landed on me.

I blinked, unsure of what he was talking about.

"Ichigo, what are you talking about?" I finally asked, furrowing my eyebrows as I watched his face heat up as he turned his head away from me.

"Kokawa-San just took off her kosode," Ishida explained, pushing his glasses further up. "Do you really expect her to sleep in her uniform, Kurosaki?"

"Yes!" The strawberry exclaimed.

"Why?" I questioned, trying to make him meet my gaze. "I'm in my shitagi, so I'm still fully covered and clothed."

"So!" Ichigo retorted, crossing his arms and angling his head so that he wasn't directly looking at me.

"So what?" I retorted as well, crossing my arms across my chest. This exposed more of my cleavage, causing Ichigo to match his namesake once more.

"So it's probably the most exposed skin he's ever seen on a woman." Yoruichi spoke up.

I laughed, holding my sides as I fell back.

"S-Shut up, Yoruichi-San!" Ichigo stammered, before scoffing and turning around from everyone.

Giggling, I lay down and threw the covers over me. "It's safe to turn around now, Ichigo. I'm coved up with blankets."

Strawberry only scoffed, slowly turning around and laying himself down as well. Everyone else laughed a bit, snuggling in their covers too.

I was still lightly laughing, but I closed my eyes all the same. "Good night, everyone."

• • •

 _Hollow._

 _Tou-San's injured._

 _Kaa-San falls..!_

 _Hollow comes for Tou-San…_

 _…_

Gasping, my eyelids flew open.

I steadied my haggard breathing, placing my hand on top of my rapidly rising and falling chest. My eyes scanned the now dark room, looking for any trace of the time. Back home, I had my alarm clock. Here, there was nothing of that sort to keep time for you.

Sitting up, I ran my hands through my hair and sighed. Luckily, I was the only one still up; everyone else was fast asleep.

What should I do?

Try and go back to sleep? Or just lay here in the darkness and be consumed by those memories?

Neither of those two options worked for me, so I sluggishly threw my covers off of me and rose to my feet. I pulled my shitagi closer to make sure that everything important was covered. It was a bit chilly without the blanket, but I shrugged that feeling off. Keeping my eyes on the slumbering forms of my friends, I silently snuck of out the room.

I mentally cursed when I drew back the shoji; it loudly creaked. I looked back over my shoulder, trying to see if anyone was woken up from the noise. I held my breath as I watched Ishida roll over once, turning away from the door.

I lowly exhaled when nobody else moved for a few seconds.

That was probably a close one; I didn't want to wake anyone. They'd probably need every ounce of sleep that they can get now for the upcoming days.

Carelessly running my hand threw my hair again, I slipped out of the room and slowly shut the shoji door, leaving it cracked.

The air outside was cool, but it was normal for early summer mornings in the Soul Society. At least, I think it's morning. If it's not, then it is really late at night. As my feet met the dirt, I crinkled my nose in disgust. I should have at least put on my zori, even if I wasn't going to put on my socks.

My gaze traveled towards the roof of the Elder's home; it looked sturdy enough for me up there. It looked like the Elder had the nicest house in this district, so his roof was probably the sturdiest one. It was an easy jump.

 _"_ _The moon looks nice tonight."_ Ankoku-Tatsu observed, staring at the moon through my eyes. I merely nodded, making myself more comfortable of the rooftop. _"_ _The stars are clearly shining as well. Remember years ago, when you first came outside when you couldn't sleep? You were so amazed by the late night sky."_

"I remember," I whispered, nodding as I sadly smiled. I wrapped my arms around my lower limbs, resting my chin on top of my knees as my gaze adverted to the side to take in the many constellations. "You'd always point out different constellations and tell me the stories behind them."

 _"_ _Mhm."_ Ankoku-Tatsu hummed in agreement. _"_ _I could always count of that to take your mind off of those corrosive thoughts."_

"Sorry, Anko." I whispered once more, feeling my eyes soften. "I forget how my emotional state affects your inner world."

 _"_ _It's not your fault, Junko."_ Ankoku-Tatsu responded. _"_ _You are trying your best; that's all that I can ask. Besides, since you've been spending so much time around the humans, things have greatly improved here. It's only during the late night and early mornings that your thoughts waver."_

"Really?" I breathed, finding my eyes widening. I was unaware that I'd been doing so well the rest of the time. Although, if I looked back on everything, I suppose that this was true. After I befriended Ichigo and the others, everything just seemed so much brighter.

 _"_ _Not so much the others,"_ Ankoku-Tatsu teased, her voice dissolving into laughter.

I felt warm all of a sudden, jumping when I felt fabric drift over my shoulders.

"What're you doing out here like that?" Ichigo questioned, glaring at me as he took a seat next to me. "It's not only indecent, but it's too cool out here."

I felt my lips twitch into a smile as my fingers played with the thick blanket that was draped around my shoulders. "Thanks."

Ichigo only scoffed, turning to look away from me and at the sky instead. "You still haven't answered my question."

"I couldn't sleep." I answered, tearing my gaze from his profile when I felt my cheeks begin to heat up subconsciously. "Nightmares; they've turned me into an insomniac over the years. Recently it's been better, but I still don't really sleep. What are you doing up this late?"

"I-I thought I heard someone moving." Ichigo quickly stuttered, not meeting my gaze.

I softly laughed, rolling my eyes. "Sure, like I'll believe that, strawberry. Yuzu and Karin have told me all about how heavy of a sleeper you are."

Ichigo only slumped in what appeared to be pure defeat. I watched as his fingers began quickly tapping against his knee. "Fine," he sighed, "I felt your reiatsu moving about, and it woke me up. I looked and didn't see you in the room."

"Sorry I woke you up." I apologized, removing my gaze from him and looking up at the moon and stars once more. "I really thought that I hadn't woken anyone up. I tried being as sneaky as I could be. But… don't you suck at sensing reiatsu and stuff like that?"

A strange strangling noise met my ears, causing them to perk up. I turned my head to gaze up at Ichigo, only to find him avoiding my gaze. He lightly coughed, "Yeah, but I'm more attuned to yours than anyone else's… so it's easier to sense."

"That makes sense," I nodded. "I've been around you since all this mess started months ago. Of course you'd be attuned to my reiatsu by now. I could sense yours miles away, I bet."

"Really?" Ichigo asked, his cinnamon gaze finally meeting mine.

I nodded, coyly grinning at him. "Yeah, but that also might be because you leak so much of it. You really have no control, do you?"

Scoffing once again, Ichigo glared down at me. "I'm new at this!"

"I know, I know." I laughed, letting my smile fade as I looked up at him. I hoped how sincere I felt didn't show on my face. That would be too embarrassing. "You've improved more than I thought you would. You've done a good job, too. I'm really…impressed."

"It's nothing, really." The strawberry replied, his scowl softening second by second as he met my gaze.

"You might think that, but I don't." I shook my head, sadly smiling up at him. "You've had your powers for such a short amount of time and you're already this strong. I've had mine for years, but I have never progressed as quickly as you have. I know I probably wouldn't be able to save Rukia on my own…but together, I know we can!"

"We'll definitely save Rukia." Ichigo stated, his eyes reflecting his strength and resolve. "Together."

I nodded, "Together."

"Rukia…means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Ichigo asked a few minutes later, acting like he was watching the starry sky. However, I could feel his gaze from the corner of his eyes.

"Yes, she does." I answered, shivering a bit beneath the blanket that Ichigo had brought; it was cooler than I thought it would be, even with the blanket. "Rukia was my very first friend. She was one of the only people that I felt like I could turn to for years… Rukia was the first non-adult that had ever befriended me. I don't feel like I owe it to her to help save her; I feel like it's what friends would do. Rukia has always been there for me, I want to be there for her, as well."

Ichigo's hands clenched into fists, "You'll be able to be there for her, we all will. We're going to save her and everything is going to be fine. Even if I have to beat every single Shinigami here, we'll take Rukia back."

Chuckling, I grinned. "You really think you can beat every single Shinigami here? There are literally thousands, if not close to a million, of them!"

"So?" Ichigo shrugged, not looking phased at all. "I take half, you take the other half. Well, we can spare some for the others, too. Right?"

"Haha, of course. But, we'll only give them a few. I don't think that they could handle thousands of Shinigami barreling after them." I laughed, nodding my head as I stared up at the moon. "I can see it now; 'Soul Society Shaken, Ryoka's Take the Criminal.'"

The strawberry beside me chuckled as well, making me smile.

"Though, we probably won't be able to sneak around the Seireitei with you with us. I mean, your hair sticks out so much! They'll all be like, 'Orange haired Ryoka!' and all come rushing at us!" I teased, reaching a hand out to lightly tug on a strand of his hair.

"Oh, really?" The strawberry drawled, narrowing his eyes slightly at me. However, I could see a lighthearted shine in his cinnamon gaze. Before I could blink, Ichigo had a strand of one of my ruby highlights in his hand. "I don't think you have room to talk. Mine's natural; I don't think this is, though."

I laughed, raising a hand to my own hair. Running my fingers through it, I nodded. "It's not natural. The black is, though. My Kaa-San had deep, black colored hair. That's where I got mine from. But, I get bored with it too often. So, I try to liven it up a bit. You have to admit, it is rather lively, right?"

"Lively's an understatement," Ichigo laughed, reaching out to ruffle my hair a bit.

Mock glaring up at the strawberry, I tried my best to fix my disheveled hair. "At least mine doesn't glow in the dark," I teased, sticking my tongue out at him.

Ichigo growled at me, glaring a bit as well. However, that look slowly faded as a piece of my hair fell in front of my face as the wind blew. I went cross eyed looking at the ruby tinted piece of hair, causing the strawberry to chuckle once more. He reached forward, pushing the stray strip of hair behind my ear. I shivered a bit as his cold fingers strayed across my cheek.

"Your hands are really cold," I commented, reaching up and holding his larger hand in-between both of mine.

"I didn't really notice." Ichigo shrugged, lightly blushing. I'm pretty sure I was blushing a bit as well, but that doesn't matter! It wasn't because I liked him or anything..! He was a teammate! A comrade! We were going to save Rukia together! We were close friends; nakama!

My eyes traveled down to his hand, studying it. His hand was very strong; there were a few callouses on it, and I could tell he'd gotten them from wielding his sword. From his hands I could tell that he was a protector. He would do anything within his power for his friends.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Ichigo looking down at me curiously. He hadn't said anything yet, and I was wondering if this was pushing any unspoken boundaries. Friends held friends hands to warm them up when they were cold, right?

The chilly breeze picked up again, blowing the edges of the blanket. I blinked down at it, mentally grinning. I knew what to do! And Ichigo's face would probably be priceless.

I gently sat Ichigo's hand down on his knee, tucking my hands back within the blanket and fluffing it out. After a few seconds, I knew that the blanket was big enough for the both of us. So, I found the edge closest to Ichigo and tugged, managing to throw it over his far shoulder. He jumped a bit, caught off guard, but managed to catch the edge of the blanket anyways.

"What'd you do that for?" Ichigo asked, about to pull the blanket off of him until I leaned over him and grabbed the edge from his hands. Tugging on it, I managed to pull the blanket sung around us, covering both of us from the wind. I snuck a glace up at the strawberry, trying to see his reaction.

Ichigo was blushing! The big, tough guy was actually blushing! Part of me wanted to squeal like a little girl, another part of me wanted to take a picture to remember this event, and yet another part of me felt embarrassed as well.

"W-Wha..?" He tried to stutter out, looking down at me with reddening cheeks.

I bit my lip, trying to avoid his intense gaze. "It's cool outside. We can't have either of us getting sick from this weather; we don't have the time to spare. Besides, your hands were freezing. And I didn't want to go inside just yet… So I figured we could share the blanket."

Ichigo still looked a bit hesitant, so I was about to cave and suggest going inside, until he threw an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to his side. Involuntary, my body relaxed to his touch. Maybe I was getting too used to Kon in Ichigo's body holding me; because this felt…right… to me. Nothing about it felt strange at all.

"Not a word to anyone else, agreed?" I asked, sheepishly grinning up at Ichigo.

Ichigo flushed, turning his head away from mine. "Agreed."


	38. Chapter Thirty-Seven

• • •

"Where are Kurosaki-Kun and Ishida-Kun?" Orihime asked, placing a finger against her chin in thought as she looked around.

"Last that I remember, Ishida went in to hurry Ichigo." I answered, sheepishly scratching the back of my head. Nobody knew that Ichigo and I were up for a couple of hours last night. We talked a bit, it wasn't that awkward..!, and I even pointed out some of the summer time constellations to Ichigo. However, after about an hour and a half we wound up going back inside because I finally started to feel tired again. I even got a few more hours of sleep in. Needless to say, I was in a very good mood today.

"I wonder what's taking them so long…" Orihime trailed off, spacing out and probably daydreaming.

"I dunno, Orihime." I said, smiling at her as she wasn't paying me a bit of attention. "Might as well go and see."

Shrugging to myself, I pushed open the door to Elder-Dono's home and poked my head through the open space.

"Perfect timing, Kokawa!" Ishida exclaimed, turning to look at me as he heard the door sliding open.

And what perfect timing it was. Ishida was tugging on Ichigo's hakama, while Ichigo was holding onto a raised floorboard for his life. Seeing this would have to make you wander what was going on.

"Would you please help me peel this idiot off the floor?!" Ishida exclaimed, thrusting a finger in the strawberry's direction.

"Who are you calling an idiot-" Ichigo exclaimed, not noticing the sly black cat making its way up to him. Then, he did notice. Well only when Yoruichi raked her claw straight across his face. "AHHHHH~!"

I bit my lip, trying to hold in my laughter as his scream echoed through the house, and probably more than half of Rukongai. Ichigo, however, let his head fall and hit the floor once more.

"Has letting your anger get the best of you made you forget what you came here for?" Yoruichi asked, her claws glistening in the light for a second. She placed her paw back on the ground as Ichigo pushed himself into a seated position, ready for the lecture. "We're here to save Rukia! You shouldn't have forgotten that! Now isn't the time for you to be picking meaningless fights! Rukia's life depends on our journey! If you understand then get ready!"

Ichigo was quiet, almost sulking as he turned away from Yoruichi. My lips curved downwards into a frown as his cinnamon eyes wavered for a second, probably feeling guilty now that he actually thought about it.

"Answer me, you damn fool!" Yoruichi exclaimed, launching herself towards Ichigo and head-butting him.

I winced; Yoruichi's head probably wasn't very soft.

• • •

"Oi!" Ichigo called, moving his gaze away from the sun nearing the center of the sky; a sign of mid-day. "It seems we're pretty far away from the village… Is it really this way?"

Nobody answered him, as we continued our walk.

"Hey, I'm asking you!"

"Shut up!" Ishida exclaimed, turning around and gesturing to the map that he had in his hands. "According to the map the Elder gave us, it's around this area! If you don't like it, why don't you take the lead?!"

Ichigo's face was emotionless. "Well, I'm not complaining, just…"

"Shiba Kukaku-San must live out here because he wants to keep his identity a secret! Since Kukaku-San is the only one to know how to enter the Seireitei without going through the gates, he must get too much praise from the other villagers!" Orihime tried to reason; although, her reasoning was usually skewed.

"Sorry, but no." Yoruichi answered. "It's just the fool's nature to enjoy places like this."

We all looked down at Yoruichi as she began walking ahead of us.

"Don't worry. That rolling stone may change addresses like changing underwear, but… the house, at least, always looks the same. If I see it, I'll recognize it instantly."

"Instantly, huh?" Ichigo mused, sighing a bit.

"Yes, yes. Instantly." Yoruichi answered. "Oh, I can already see it. It's over there."

"…This…" Ichigo stuttered.

"This is…!" Ishida stuttered as well. Both of them were at a loss for words.

"I think it's kind of cool." I muttered, turning my head to the side so I could get a better view of the strange looking house.

"It's amazing!" Orihime gushed, clasping her hands together. I swear her eyes were literally sparkling.

"See! You can tell from just one glance, right?" Yoruichi asked, grinning up at the house. It probably brought a sense of nostalgia to her.

It looked like a pretty decent sized house; not that much different from most of the others in the Rukongai. However, it wasn't the house that was the problem. It was the arms bursting from the ground on either size, rising up above the house and holding a large banner that read 'Shiba Kukaku' in giant bold print. Well, that and the fact that there was a large chimney behind it; almost twice the size of those giant arms.

I looked beside me, grinning at the dumbstruck look on Ichigo's and Ishida's faces. Both of their jaws were dropped and their eyes wide in disbelief.

"Oh… This time it's human hands holding the banner. That's pretty good." Yoruichi observed, nodding her cat-like head in agreement. "Come on; let's go."

"Of course!" Orihime sang, happily skipping behind Yoruichi. Chad merely grunted, slowly walking after Orihime.

Once again, I looked up at Ichigo and Ishida. Both of them were still standing there in disbelief. A mischievous grin split across my face as I darkly chuckled.

"Come on, you two! We've got to follow Yoruichi." I said, reaching forward and grabbing one of their wrists in each hand as I began to drag them towards the bizarre house. "There's no one here to take pictures of us walking into a house like that; stop worrying already. Besides, Ishida, you'll walk around dressed like that but you'll worry about walking into Shiba's house? Hypocrite."

Ichigo's laughter rang through the air, making me grin a bit. Ishida glared, easily breaking free of the grip that I had on his wrist. He huffed, crossing his arms as pushed away from us and caught up with the rest of the group.

"Hold on!" A voice called out, halting us in our tracks. I released Ichigo's wrist, my hand hovering over Ankoku-Tatsu's hilt. Ichigo's hand was already on his sword, but it still rested on his back.

Two men, presumably guards, jumped down from their positions high atop the two human fists that were on either side of the house. Both looked identical, so I'm guess that they're twins. They had tiny, squinted eyes, bulky arms, and long thin mustaches.

"Who are you?!"

"Your clothes are really weird! And two of them look like Shinigami!"

"A bunch of suspicious people!"

"I, Koganehiko and…" The one dressed in tan clothes began.

"I, Shiroganehiko…" The one dressed in white clothes added.

"Will definitely not let you pass!" They exclaimed in unison, crossing their arms over their chests and looking down at us all.

"Get out!"

"Or else you will die here!"

"Che," Ichigo scoffed, not removing his hand from his Zanpakuto's hilt. "More guards? The Soul Society is such a troublesome place…"

"Hm?" Both of the guards hummed in unison once more. Their heads smashed together as they walked closer to our group and looked down in shock. "Yoruichi-Dono?!"

Before I could even begin to comprehend what was going on, we were soon being ushered into the home. However, the internal layout was quite sketchy; it was a straight shot downstairs as soon as you entered.

"Oh dear, I'm really sorry. I didn't think Yoruichi-Dono would be with these guys! Please forgive my rudeness!" Koganehiko, I think since he was wearing the darker clothes, exclaimed, leading us down the stairs. The other guard, Shiroganehiko, continued to stand guard on the outside level.

"It's okay. I didn't notice you guys first, so it's my fault too." Yoruichi said, brushing the guards apologies aside.

"Ha ha! You're very kind!" The guard exclaimed, grinning. Moments later, we finally reached the end of the stairs. "Please wait here for a moment."

"…Is it Koganehiko?" A voice barked out.

"Ye-Yes!"

"Seems like there's a rare guest..!" The voice continued. However, it sounded a bit strange…almost feminine. But if you think about it, Yoruichi is a woman after all. It'd only make sense that she'd be friends with another woman. "Hurry and open the door! Don't be slow!"

"Yes! I will open it immediately!" Koganehiko exclaimed, dropping to one knee as he formally slid the two sliding doors apart.

"Hi! Long time no see, Yoruichi!" Shiba Kukaku called out, smirking at our rag tag group from her lazed seated position in the middle of the room. She was a dark haired, really busty woman. A long white sash was tied sloppily around her head, leaving gaps so some of her spiky bangs showed through. Her eyes looked somewhat familiar; a deep sea foam green with long bottom eyelashes…

"Ku-Kukaku is a WOMAN?!" The entire group exclaimed, save for Chad, Yoruichi, and myself. Although, I could tell that Chad was shocked from his slightly dropped jaw.

Man, they must have been dense not to recognize that the voice we heard earlier was a woman's, so that meant that Kukaku had to be a woman. Maybe they thought that she had to be a man because they still thought Yoruichi was a man? Probably… I wouldn't put it past them.

"…Who? Who are these kids?" Kukaku asked, an eyebrow quirking as she looked us all over.

"…Kukaku, actually I came here today to ask you for a favor." Yoruichi explained, strutting further into the room before stopping a few feet away from the woman.

"I thought so. Isn't it the same every time you come?" Kukaku asked, "Is it really complicated?"

"I think so."

"Ha!" The dark haired woman laughed. "It's been a very long time since we've had this kind of conversation… Okay! Tell me; I love complicated stuff!"

• • •

"…I see, I think I understand." Kukaku spoke, exhaling and letting the smoke from the pipe that she was currently smoking leave her mouth. "Alright; I'll accept this job."

"Really?" Yoruichi asked, sounding a bit relieved.

"Yeah, since Urahara is a part of this, I can't really refuse." Kukaku explained, rising to her feet. Her sea foam green eyes scanned our group, scrutinizing Ichigo and I a bit longer than the others. "However, even though I trust you, that doesn't mean I trust those kids. I'll send one of my men with you just to make sure. No objections?"

"Of course not," Yoruichi answered, her amber eyes glistening in the light.

"Your man?" Ichigo questioned, eyebrows rising a bit in curiosity.

"Yeah, he's my little brother. But he's just a punk; he's still not good enough." Kukaku explained, walking over to another set of sliding doors. "Oi! You ready?"

"No…wait..!"

"I'm opening the door! Be courteous!"

"G-Got it, Onee-Sama!"

The door slid open, revealing a familiar face.

"He-Hello, everyone! My name is Shiba Ganju! Pleased to meet you!"

Everyone's jaw dropped, not believing this new twist.

Seconds ticked by, all of us just sitting there and staring at each other.

"AHHH…YOU!" Both Ganju and Ichigo simultaneously screamed, once the shock set in I guess.

"What? You guys know each other?" Kukaku asked from around the pipe hanging from her mouth, smoke still trailing up off of it in tendrils.

Both men charged each other, landing punches and kicks every once in a while. Ichigo managed to sling Ganju halfway across the room, which was quite impressive. That managed to take down one wall of the sliding doors, making the delicate wood splinter to pieces.

Ganju made a quick recovery though, quickly standing up and charging at Ichigo and landing a nice kick that sent him tumbling. Before the strawberry got a chance to recover, Ganju was suddenly above him, grabbing ahold of his ankles and mercilessly stomping all over his…ahem, man parts.

Of course Ichigo screamed, but managed to throw Ganju off of him. And once again, Ganju was sent flying through another set of sliding doors. Kukaku didn't seem to mind the senseless fighting; that is, until they managed to knock the pipe from her hand and break it.

"Stop this right now!" Kukaku exclaimed, bringing her fist down on Ganju's head and her foot down on Ichigo's head. "What on earth has gotten into you two?! You started fighting the minute you saw each other..!"

"Ouch…" Ichigo muttered, rubbing the top of his head as he glared at the other male. "Jumping out of nowhere with no warning at all… Like brother like sister…"

"Bu-But Onee-Sama!" Ganju exclaimed, tearing up like a little kid. "It was hi-"

Kukaku aimed a nice kick to Ganju's face; no wonder his nose looked so weird, it'd probably been broken who knows how many times. "You dare talk back to me?!" Ganju lay in a crippled heap on the ground. However, Kukaku's eyes then spotted Ichigo, and she stormed over towards him. "Yo, punk! This is my home. If you don't like the way I run this place, you can get the hell out!"

"…Uh… Sorry?" Ichigo stuttered out.

"Okay, as long as you get the point." Kukaku stated with a bored tone of voice, releasing Ichigo's hair.

Ichigo slowly crawled over to Ganju, who was still in a heap on the ground. "…Your sister is scary…"

"She really is…" Ganju muttered back.

"Alright-! Everyone!" Kukaku exclaimed, causing us all to snap to attention. Now we knew what she was capable of. "Koganehiko, you go outside and help Shiroganehiko prepare. Now, the rest of you, follow me this way."

"Yes!" We all replied in sync, our backs rim rod straight as she made her way across the room. We all visibly relaxed when her back was turned away from us; it was then that we knew that we were safe. She probably wouldn't blow up like that again.

Kukaku lead the way throughout the maze that was her underground home. But, it was much brighter than anyone would expect it to be; especially when you considered that it was all under the earth.

"Wow, it's so bright even though we're underground…" Ishida pointed out, looking up at the ceiling in interest. That's where the source of light came from. "No electrical wiring in sight, too…"

"I planted some light vines between the walls and the ceiling." Kukaku lazily pointed out, half-assing her answer.

"Light vines?" Ishida questioned. "Excuse me, is that a special plant of Soul Society?"

"Oh, here we are." Kukaku said, avoiding Ishida's question as she stopped in front of an average looking door. "Open it, Ganju!"

"Coming!" Ganju cried, pushing his way through our group as he rushed to his sister's side.

"Excuse me," Ishida said, stepping closer to Kukaku.

Ichigo, however, was on the lookout for him. He snuck up behind him, grabbing him from behind and covering his mouth as he drug Ishida a couple feet back.

"What are you doing?!" Ishida questioned, turning and glaring at Ichigo.

Ichigo held up his hand, whispering from behind it. "Don't upset her, okay?"

"Opening the door-!" Ganju exclaimed, tugging the doors back, "Leave it to me!"

We all gasped at the sight as the door was thrown open. Compared to the hallway, this room was much darker. It looked like it had little to no illumination. The only light keeping it lit up now was the light streaming in from the hallway. We could make out a huge towering shape in the center of the large, seemingly empty room.

"What…is that?" Ichigo questioned, his head tilting up as his cinnamon eyes tried to trace the path of the large cylinder.

"I'm using that to send you into the city of Seireitei." Kukaku proudly stated from her position next to the large cylinder. Then, her one arm pointed upwards, "From the sky!"

"The sky?!" Ichigo and Ishida exclaimed in shock, their jaws dropping once more.

"I'm Shiba Kukaku… Rukongai's Number One Fireworks Technician!"


	39. Chapter Thirty-Eight

• • •

"Fire…firework technician?" Ichigo questioned Kukaku with a dumbfounded look on his face. Then again, I wouldn't blame him. How were fireworks going to get us into the Seireitei?

"That's right," Kukaku smirked. Moving her gaze from us, her head tilted up as she began yelling. "Koganehiko! Shiroganehiko! Pull us up!"

A faint "Yes, Ma'am!" was heard from somewhere high above us.

After that, we could all hear them chanting 'hai/yes' over and over again. And right when they began chanting, the floor started shaking.

"Wha?!" Orihime shrieked, trying to steady herself as the moving floor caught her off guard. She wasn't the only one caught off guard, though; everyone else, myself included, had to try and stay on their feet.

"What the…the floor is moving?!" Ichigo exclaimed, looking at the ground as it shook beneath our feet.

"What's going on?!" Ishida questioned, eyebrows narrowed in confusion.

A loud cracking sound met our ears, followed by a loud explosion which caused me to cover my ears and look up.

"Hey, guys! The ceiling's opening!" I pointed out, moving my hands off of my ears as I pointed up at the ceiling.

Sure enough, the ceiling split in half; each hemisphere was being tugged away from the large chimney structure in the middle of the room. Sunlight streamed through the opening, flooding the room with its bright light.

"Is this for real?!" Ichigo asked, staring up in awe.

A few more seconds passed and we were completely brought up to the surface; we were standing on a raised platform behind Kukaku's house.

"You amazed, kids?" Kukaku asked, walking over to look down at us. "This is Shiba Kukaku's personal giant fireworks platform-"

"The Kakaku Cannon!" Ganju exclaimed, cutting his sister off in the middle of her speech.

A swift kick to the back of his head by Kukaku sent Ganju flying back down near us. "Who said you could come up here?!"

"Sorry!" Ganju hurriedly apologized.

Kukaku observed us once more, grinning. "Speechless, huh?"

Ishida stepped forward, bravely pointing straight at the fireworks expert. "This is no time to joke around! I don't know what kind of technician you are, but shooting us with that thing?! It's impossible! We'll die for sure-!"

Kukaku reached behind her, withdrawing a sphere roughly the size of a bowling ball. Without a care in the world, she tossed it straight at Ishida, nailing him in the face. He hit the floor, limp, at the same time his glasses did when they flew off of his face from the impact.

"Huh?" Ichigo asked, easily catching the ball as it ricocheted off of Ishida. "What's this?"

"It's a 'reisyukaku,' also called a spirit core." Kukaku explained, pointing at the sphere that was in Ichigo's hands. "Hold onto it and give it your spirit energy."

Ichigo questioningly looked down at the sphere in his hands once more before his right hand moved up to grasp the top portion of the sphere. His left hand steadied the bottom as he looked down at it. The strawberry then proceeded to try and squeeze the orb; but it didn't break or shatter because it looked to be made out of solid glass, or maybe a rare crystal.

"Oi… How do I 'give it spiritual energy'?" Ichigo questioned, looking up at Kukaku with a deadpan expression.

I stumbled a bit, releasing a strangling noise. He didn't know how to focus his spiritual energy? Did Urahara focus solely on fighting the whole time?!

"Huh..?" Kukaku asked, eyebrows rising in astonishment. "Just focus your power on your palm like when you did Kido spells." As if to demonstrate her point, she brought up her hand and focused her reiatsu; it took on a sphere shaped form and began glowing. "Don't all Shinigami use Kido?"

"Well… He's not an officially trained Shinigami…" Yoruichi explained, "He doesn't know any Kido…"

"What?!" Kukaku exclaimed, angrily huffing and placing her hand on her hips. "Che! No other way then… Ganju, show them!"

"Okay!" Ganju cheered, jumping to his feet and waving his hand in the air like a school kid who knew the answer and wanted to be picked. He ran over to Ichigo, trying to take the spirit core from him. However, the strawberry had other ideas and pulled it back from Ganju's clutches. "Oi! Hand it over!"

When Ganju dove for the spirit core, Ichigo raised it up in the air. When Ganju went to jump up to reach the core, Ichigo lowered it. Ichigo was acting like an elementary student playing keep away.

"You bastard… Are you trying to pick a fight..?" Ganju seethed.

"Yeah?! Come and get it if you can!" Ichigo replied, smirking down at a crouching Ganju as he tauntingly slapped the spirit core with each word he spoke. "I would rather die than have you teach me, dumbass!"

"Quit that shit!" Kukaku cursed, stomping over and punching them squarely atop their heads.

"We're sorry…" Both guys murmured.

Ganju then sprung to his feet, snatching the spirit core from Ichigo and holding it the same way that Ichigo had; with one hand perched on the top and the other stabilizing the bottom. Making a weird grunting noise, Ganju focused his spirit energy into the orb. His robes began to blow in wind as his reiatsu flared; the orb itself beginning to respond to his power by brightly glowing. Once his power reached a steady level, a spark seemed to flow from the spirit core, expanding and solidifying to form a huge sphere around Ganju.

"What's that?!" Ichigo asked, eyes widening at the giant sphere that surrounded Ganju.

"This," Kukaku spoke while pounding her fist on the hard surface of the sphere around Ganju, "is the cannonball."

"Cannonball?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Listen up." Kukaku stated, removing our attention from the shield around Ganju to her. "If you think that the wall around the city is the only defense barrier…you're dead wrong. The wall is made by a special mineral that completely blocks out spiritual energy. If you don't make a hole in the wall, you can't get in. More importantly, this mineral releases a special spiritual energy wave from the cut surfaces. In other words…in both above and under the ground, the city is covered by a sphere shaped protection field."

"Both above and under?" Ishida questioned.

"Makes sense," I shrugged, nodding my head.

"Therefore, if we just fly in bluntly… our body, made out of spiritrons, will be turned into dust. That's why we need this!" Kukaku emphasized, landing a hard punch to the sphere surrounding Ganju.

Actually, by now Ganju was wheezing and it looked like he was going to fall over at any moment. "N-Nee-Chan… I… can't… keep it up…"

"Hold it!" Kukaku ordered, not even bothering to look back at him as she continued on with her explanation. "My invention here creates a specially hardened spiritron shell. By providing spiritual energy to the core, you can create a cannonball strong enough to break through the protection field. I will then use the Kakaku Cannon to fire you up and break you in with one strike. This may sound a little ridiculous, but there is no other way! That's all for now. Any questions?!"

"Uh… I…" Ichigo began to ask his question.

"Okay, meeting's over. To the training room you go!" Kukaku said, snapping her fingers to get her guards attention. "Koganehiko! Shiroganehiko! Take them there!"

"Wah!"

"Hey!"

"W-What?"

"Kyah~!" I squealed, struggling and kicking as Shiroganehiko effortlessly threw me over his shoulder with one hand. He also held a struggling Ichigo under his other arm. Koganehiko had Orihime thrown over one shoulder and was in the process of throwing Ishida over his other shoulder. Chad just stood there; clearly they thought that he was big enough to walk himself.

"You better train hard! If you can't do it by tomorrow, you'll all go BOOM!" Kukaku called out to us as we were all being carried away.

"What?!" Ichigo shrieked, "Hey, you didn't mention anything like that earlier!"

"It's no use, Ichigo." I stated in uninterest, resting my chin on my hand as I felt my body bounce with each huge step that Shiroganehiko took. "We're too far away for her to hear us anyway."

"Che!" Ichigo scoffed, his trademark scowl that I knew so well taking over his face. "That wasn't much of an explanation anyway!"

"Don't worry. You'll understand once you start practicing." I nonchalantly replied. "Focusing your spiritual energy is as easy as breathing once you get used to it."

"Really?" The strawberry questioned, craning his head around to get a better look at me.

I nodded, "Yep. Back in the Academy, they put me in Kido classes because I was okay at controlling my spiritual energy. After a few times, when I finally got the hang of it, I started getting the top scores in the classes. So, this won't be a big deal."

Hopefully.

• • •

"No! Ichigo-Dono, you're doing it all wrong!"

"It's not 'uwooo'! It's 'waaa'!"

Ichigo merely grunted once more, shaking as he tried to squeeze his spiritual energy into the spirit core that he was holding up above his head. "Uuwaah!"

"No! No!" Shiroganehiko reprimanded.

"It's 'waaa'!" Koganehiko explained once again.

"I don't get it!" Ichigo yelled, a vein throbbing dangerously on his forehead. "Can't you explain it in a language I can understand?!"

"It's not even about the noise you make," I muttered, hugging the spirit core that I was supposed to be practicing with to my chest.

"It's not?" Orihime asked, hearing my mutters.

"No, it's not." I stated, shaking my head. "In fact, you should be able to do it without making any noise at all. It's all about focusing on your spirit energy with your mind."

"I see," Orihime murmured, staring down at the spirit core that she was holding in her own hands.

"Okay! How about we see the progress that everyone's made?" Koganehiko suggested.

"Orihime-Dono, why don't you go ahead?" Shiroganehiko asked, seeing as how Orihime was at the end of the makeshift line that we had formed.

"O-Okay…" Orihime meekly replied, closing her eyes and focusing on her spirit energy. Without making a noise, her spirit core reacted and formed a perfect sphere around her.

"Way to go Orihime!" I cheered, grinning up at her as she slightly floated in her cannonball.

Koganehiko nodded in agreement, "You're a fast learner, Orihime-Dono!"

Shiroganehiko nodded, looking next at me. "Junko-Dono, if you may."

"Alright," I nodded, still hugging the spirit core to my chest. Without even blinking, the sphere lit up and formed a perfect sphere around myself. A wave of spirit energy pulsated through it, strengthening it even more.

"Perfect, Junko-Dono!"

"It's very strong and stable! Nice job, Junko-Dono!"

"Thanks," I said, nodding as I focused on draining my spirit energy from the core and floated back down to the wooden floor.

"Next, Ishida-Dono!" Koganehiko announced.

Ishida nodded, focusing his spirit energy. The spirit core lit up, forming the barrier around him. However, his was shaped weirdly; Ishida's cannonball was very thing and narrow.

"Ooh! That's a nice ellipsoid!"

"Hmm, this narrowness is likely caused by some personality issue." Shiroganehiko noted with his arms crossed. "Next, Sado-Dono!"

Chad's spirit core instantly lit up, forming a hazy cannonball around him. It didn't look too stable, but it was full of power. His cannonball never stopped glowing, pulsating with his spirit energy.

"O…Ooh!" Koganehiko murmured, "It's not stable but it's packed with power!"

"Then lastly…" Shiroganehiko announced, "Ichigo-Dono!"

Ichigo let out a weird sounding battle cry, hunching over and trying his hardest to pour his spirit energy into the spirit core. However, even with all that grunting, he only managed to form thin wisps of light that floated around him.

"It's terrible!"

"Have you really been trying?"

"I can't bear to see this!"

"Nicely said!"

"Though, instead of doubting his effort…"

"…I think he just doesn't have the talent!"

"No talent!" Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko chorused together.

Ichigo, vein throbbing, had enough of their comments and flat out threw his spirit core at one of the twins. I don't think he was aiming for a certain one, but Shiroganehiko was nailed and flew back and hit the floor.

"I just didn't understand anything that you said!" Ichigo vented, "Can you please teach using a human language?! Damn it!"

• • •

Hours passed and Ichigo still hadn't gotten the hang of how to focus his spirit energy into the spirit core to make his cannonball. He looked exhausted, his breathing ragged and coming in deep gasps as beads of sweat began trailing down the side of his face.

Everyone's attention was drawn from Ichigo as the sliding door to the training room was pushed open. One of Ganju's friends, one of the one's we had seen earlier that was riding a boar, poked his head through the door. He held a ladle in one hand and was wearing an apron. "Um, Aniki… Dinner's ready. I hope I'm not intruding…"

"Oi, you guys!" Ganju shouted, lifting himself into a sitting position as he cried out to us. "Dinner's ready. You're hungry, ain't ya?"

"…What do you mean?" Ishida questioned.

"You won't get anything to eat elsewhere. People in Rukongai don't use their spiritual energy, so they don't get hungry." Ganju explained.

"Yeah, but Ichigo's still-" I began, only for him to cut me off.

"Don't worry about me, Jun." He said, still breathing heavily. "You guys go first. I'll go after I'm done."

"Alright," I nodded. "We'll go ahead, but you better catch up with us soon."

"Inoue, are you coming?" Ishida asked, seeing as how Orihime hadn't made a move to follow us towards the door.

Orihime blinked, grinning as she turned towards us. "Ah! I'm not hungry! You all can go first; I'll stay with Kurosaki-Kun."

A loud rumbling noise echoed throughout the room.

Originating from Orihime's stomach…

"Uh… I was just kidding!" Orihime sheepishly laughed, wilding waving her arms about. "I'm only a little hungry…"

"Inoue." Ichigo firmly called out, "Go with them. I don't mind."

"I-It's not that!" Orihime stuttered, shyly smiling at Ichigo. "I just want to practice some more! I'm not that hungry..!"

"Inoue." Ichigo repeated, not meeting her gaze. "Please."

I watched Orihime's smile slowly fade at his words, her eyes softening. However, in the blink of an eye, the animated smile was back with a vengeance.

"…Oh?! Okay, then. Since you put it that way, I'll be going." Orihime laughed, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "I'm going to eat!"

"Ah, wait! Inoue-San!" Ishida called out as Orihime sped for the door, waving to Ichigo the whole time, even though he wasn't looking.

"Ishida-Kun! Sado-Kun! Jun-Chan! You all come, too!" Orihime exclaimed, pushing Ishida and Chad out of the door before she grinned down at me and grabbed my hand and drug me from the room as well.

"Alright," I laughed, almost having to jog to keep up with Orihime's fast pace, "We're coming, we're coming..!"

"Right this way," Ganju's friend said, leading the way.

We were brought into an empty room, but there were four cushions on the floor for us to sit on, arranged in a line. The wall that we were facing had two scrolls hanging; one that said 'the strong eat,' while the other said 'the weak are meat.' I think those two scrolls seem to fit the image of the Shiba family from what we'd seen of Kukaku and Ganju.

Chad took the seat on the far end, while Ishida sat beside him. Orihime chose to sit next to Ishida, leaving the last seat to me. I didn't complain, I just properly sat down on the cushion.

We were severed a tray full of food by some of the other members of Ganju's gang. On each tray there was a grilled whole fish, a bowl of rice, some tofu soup, and some crackers. We all muttered our own, "Itadakimasu," which meant thank you for the food, before we began eating.

It was silent while we ate, but that was probably because it would be considered rude to talk while your mouth is full. Needless to say, I found the silence awkward as I took small bites of my food; I wasn't really all too hungry. I had gotten used to not eating a lot lately because I knew food would be difficult to come by while we were here on our mission to rescue Rukia.

Ishida was the last one to finish, but we waited for him to be polite.

"Gochisousamadeshita," Ishida murmured, dabbing at his mouth politely with his napkin after he said that he was finished with his meal.

"Ishida, you eat kind of slow…" Chad pointed out.

"S-So what?" Ishida asked, "I was brought up this way."

"Orihime, are you sure you're done? You've still got so much food left on your tray…" I asked, looking over at Orihime who was staring down at her own tray.

Orihime turned to me, grinning. "Yep! I'm totally full-"

And there goes her stomach again.

I think it's safe to say that we were all shocked when she punched her own stomach to try and stop the noises.

"See… I'm totally… full…" Orihime slowly said, looking like she was about to wither away.

"Uh, we would have pretended not to hear it even if you didn't do that…" Ishida muttered, skeptically looking at Orihime. I have to admit, he was right.

"Orihime, why aren't you eating?" I asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

The auburn haired girl looked down, clutching her hands into fists on her lap. "Th-The truth is… I want to leave some for Kurosaki-Kun…"

"That's it?" I asked, shaking my head as I laughed a bit. "Orihime, you know as well as I do that Ichigo wouldn't take your food. Besides, they probably still have more left… I don't think that Ganju's eaten yet; he stayed behind to watch Ichigo, remember? So, maybe he's waiting to eat with him?"

"Maybe your right…" Orihime trailed off.

"Kokawa-San does have a point," Ishida said, nodding. "But speaking of Kurosaki, he's still not done-"

A heavy pressure seemed to bear down on all of us. I blinked, shaking my head to dispel the weight off of my body. I knew this reiatsu; it was Ichigo's..!

"Wha…What is with this pressure in the air..?" Ishida asked, as we all rose to our feet.

"It's Ichigo!" I stated, looking around while trying to pinpoint the source. "And it's coming from the training room!"

"Kurosaki-Kun?" Orihime muttered, looking a bit frightened.

"Come on, let's go!" I urged, turning around and leading the way back to the training room. Of course, with Kukaku's mazelike hallways, I normally wouldn't have been able to lead the way at all. However, now I was locked on the source of the reiatsu so I could easily trace our way back.

Ganju was sitting on the ground, facing the closed sliding door when we got there. He looked almost scared; he was certainly speechless until Kukaku came running down the other end of the hallway.

"What happened?! What happened, Ganju?!" Kukaku demanded, "I asked, what happened?!"

"S-S-Sorry, Nee-Chan…" Ganju stuttered, looking up at his sister with wide eyes. "I… I just taught him my shortcut, and… it ended up like this… I didn't expect…"

Kukaku's deep sea foam eyes widened, spinning around she threw open the sliding door to me met with a face full of hair whipping wind. Not only that, but the light from the spiritual core was so bright that it hurt the eyes to look at.

"Hey, idiot! What do you think you're doing?!" Kukaku screamed, "Focus and refine your energy already!"

All of us pushed our way into the room, watching to see if Ichigo could get his spiritual energy in check. Ichigo's eyes opened, meeting our gazes as he twisted his head to get a better look at us all.

Slowly but surely, his got a better reign on his spiritual pressure. It managed to recede until the cannonball was a perfect sphere.

"You did it!" I exclaimed, grinning as I looked up at Ichigo.

"Yeah! I did it!" Ichigo exclaimed, grinning and laughing a bit. "Yeah!"

However, crackling noises met my ears. My ears twitched a bit, as I tried to look around for the source of the noise.

"You idiot!" Kukaku screeched, pointing at Ichigo from above my head. "Don't lose your concentration!"

"Huh?" The strawberry asked, fist still clenched in triumph as he had a blank look on his face.

The cracking noise intensified; a crack could even be seen growing across the surface of the cannonball that Ichigo created.

Before I could blink, Chad threw himself in front of Orihime and me; shielding us from the huge explosion that rocked the entire house as Ichigo's screams echoed.

"T-Thanks, Chad..!" I breathed out, pushing myself up to my tip toes as I tried to look over his shoulder to see if Ichigo was alright; after all, he was in the center of that explosion!

"Did you listen to a word I said?!" Kukaku bellowed, her foot atop Ichigo's bright orange head as his face dug into the wooden floorboards. "I said if you break your concentration, you'd go BOOM! Didn't I? Speak!"

"Yes… You specifically warned us not to…" Ichigo responded, his voice muffled from the floor.

Kukaku ground her foot into his head, "So you did it on purpose?"

"Yeah! It's all your-bah!" Ganju began, but was cut off by a swift punch delivered by the fireworks technician.

"You too, idiot!" She barked, glaring down at her younger brother.

"No…no way!"

"Yes way! No food for either of you!"

"W-Why?" Ichigo questioned.

"You're including me with him!?" Ganju cried out.

"Shut up!" Kukaku seethed. "You got a problem with it?"

The dark haired woman threatened them with her fist again, quickly getting them to apologize. I couldn't fight the smirk off of my face; she had those two whipped.


	40. Chapter Thirty-Nine

• • •

"Shut up!" Kukaku seethed. "You got a problem with it?"

The dark haired woman threatened them with her fist again, quickly getting them to apologize. I couldn't fight the smirk off of my face; she had those two whipped.

"Ah, Yoruichi-San?" Orihime asked, looking down at the black cat that casually strolled into the room.

Yoruichi seemed to ignore her, walking over to Ichigo. "So Ichigo's finally created a cannonball, too."

"What's wrong?" Ganju asked, pushing himself off of the ground as he stared at Yoruichi, who had paused before Ichigo. The strawberry had yet to push himself from the floor and it sounded like he was breathing quite heavily…

Wait… was he asleep?!

"Don't worry; he's just sleeping." Yoruichi said, shrugging off Ganju's concern as she turned to face us and sat down in front of the snoozing strawberry. "More importantly, you kids have a seat over here."

I blinked, confused. "Why are we just sitting down?"

Yoruichi grinned up at me. "Ichigo may be sleeping, but the rest of us don't have the time right now. I will tell you the plan for when we break into the Seireitei. Mind it well and-NYAA!"

The cat's scream caused all of us to jump in surprise; after all, it was a horrible sound that resembled nails raking across a chalkboard.

"Y-Yoruichi-San!" Orihime gushed, quickly running towards the yowling cat.

"Ooh," I acknowledged, nodding my head as I followed after Orihime and stepped closer. "Ichigo grabbed Yoruichi's tail!"

Said strawberry was still sound asleep, mouth open and beginning to drool. His hand had unconsciously shot out, wrapping around Yoruichi's thin black tail. Yoruichi's amber eyes were wide, tears freely flowing down as she continued to shriek and paw at the ground.

"We'll help, Yoruichi-San." Ishida offered, stepping forward as well and crouching down beside Yoruichi and Ichigo.

"Mm," Chad added, nodding his head as he walked around Ichigo and took a seat beside Ichigo's hand. His large fists curled around Ichigo's fingers, trying to pry them loose. However, he wasn't very successful.

"Che, look at the trouble you're causing, Ichigo…" I muttered, rolling my eyes as I watched Chad struggle to help free Yoruichi's tail.

"Junko! Help!" Yoruichi hissed, turning her head to glare at me. "Don't just sit there!"

"Alright, alright..!" I huffed, holding my hands out in a sign of surrender. "Although, if Chad can't get you free then I doubt I can do anything…"

Releasing a sigh, I crawled over towards the sleeping Shinigami. I crouched down next to him, observing his face. His eyes were closed and his mouth was wide open, a bit of drool beginning to accumulate on the floor. For once his face seemed blank, wiped of all emotion.

I narrowed my eyebrows, sternly glaring down at Ichigo.

"Um, Jun-Chan, I don't think glaring at him will help…" Orihime meekly suggested, weakly chuckling.

"I know it won't. It's just to help me get ready for what I'm about to do." I explained, "If this doesn't work, then I'm not sure what will."

"W-What are you planning on doing to Kurosaki-Kun?" The auburn haired girl asked, eyes widening a bit in surprise.

To answer her, I smirked at her before turning to gaze down at tangerine head. Sucking in a deep breath, I yelled.

"Oi! Ichigo! Get your ass up!" I screeched next to his ear, lightly smacking the side of his face with my hand a couple of times. Orihime, Ishida, and Ganju covered their ears, wincing at my shrill tone. Chad looked like he was shocked a bit, but it was hard to tell with his impassive face. Kukaku looked like she was slightly impressed, while Yoruichi was still struggling to get out of Ichigo's hold.

Ichigo twitched a bit, eyebrows narrowing.

It looked like he mumbled something, but it was so faint none of us heard anything audible. But he didn't wake up.

"Well, damn." I cursed, lightly whistling. "If that didn't wake him up, I don't know what will."

Yoruichi's howls grew more hysterical, believing that she wasn't going to be freed anytime soon. I watched her, feeling pity; I've never been a cat, so I don't know what it would feel like to get my tail caught like that, but it did look painful. Releasing a sigh of frustration, I raked a hand through my hair, thinking of a way to help free her.

"I mean, I remember Yuzu telling me that Ichigo was a sound sleeper; I never would have guessed that he was this bad…" I muttered, crossing my arms as my eyes scanned over his soundly sleeping form.

Ishida blinked. "She told you that?"

"Yeah," I nodded, grinning. "Yuzu loves to talk about Ichigo. She really looks up to him. So, she talks about him all the time. It's pretty nice learning about the things that he'd never tell a soul about!"

"Like what?" The archer questioned, pushing up his glasses and looking like he wanted to take a notebook out to jot some stories down.

I laughed, "I wouldn't tell you! Yuzu trusts me enough that she'll tell me those things. You have to gain her trust if you wanna hear those embarrassing stories!"

"Guys," Chad interrupted, "Yoruichi-San still needs help."

"Oh, right!" I gasped, jumping to my feet and nimbly leaping over Ichigo's body. I settled myself down next to Chad, intensely looking at the death grip that the strawberry had on Yoruichi's tail.

"How about we all try and pry his fingers away? One by one." Ishida suggested, pushing up his glasses as he leaned over Ichigo's hand as well.

"Sounds like a plan to me." I shrugged, looking up at the giant beside me to see if he agreed to the plan as well. Orihime meekly watched us, lightly patting Ichigo's shoulder like it would help calm him down.

"Mhm," Chad murmured, "Let's try it."

We counted to three, each of us trying out hardest to move Ichigo's fingers even a few centimeters; we weren't picky, it just had to be enough for Yoruichi to get her tail out of his grip.

After a few seconds of displaying our brute strength, we finally managed to pry his fingers back a bit.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, grinning down as I watched Yoruichi book it across the room away from Ichigo.

"My tail..!" Yoruichi wailed, laying down and looking at her zig-zagging tail in horror. I bit my lip to hold in my giggles; I didn't want to face the wrath of a seething Yoruichi.

"GAH!" I exclaimed, screaming once Ichigo's hand clamped down around my own. I tried tugging it out of his grasp, wincing once I found that it wasn't moving one bit. "Guys, help..!"

Ishida merely snickered, adverting his eyes sheepishly once he saw the glare that I sent his way. Orihime was sheepishly smiling as well, although I could tell that it was a fake smile. Chad shrugged in response, looking down at our intertwined hands. Yoruichi was no help, still crying over her bent tail. Ganju would never help a Shinigami…

I was screwed.

"This isn't funny…" I whined, trying to look as helpless as I could as I gazed up at my so called 'friends.' Why weren't they trying to help?!

"If we try to help you, Kurosaki might clamp down on one of our hands. And I think I speak for everyone when I say that we don't want to hold Kurosaki's hand all night." Ishida explained.

"What about me?! Do you think I want to be stuck here all night?!" I screeched, glaring at the Quincy.

"If Ichigo has to sleep with something in his grip then it might as well be you," Yoruichi called out from her corner, her eyes angry slits. "Do you object?"

"Hell yes, I do!" I cried, still trying to tug myself free. "Can't someone find him a teddy bear or some-THING?!"

I yelped as Ichigo forcibly tugged on my arm as he rolled over in his sleep, dragging me down with him. Before I could sit back up, his other arm snaked around my waist, holding me firmly to his side.

"Guys, help..!" I yelled, failing about as I tried to get out of his hold.

Ganju loudly laughed, "Sleep tight, Shinigami~!"

"JERK!" I yelled after him as he walked out of the room. I blinked, dumbfounded. "You guys, too?!"

Kukaku left the room, smirking at me as she left. Yoruichi was right at her heels, making sure to still keep her distance from the sleeping strawberry that was currently cuddling with me. Orihime awkwardly stood, shuffling her feet as she looked anywhere but at me. Ishida and Chad rose to their feet as well.

"Sorry, Jun-Chan." Orihime apologized, still not meeting my gaze. "Kurosaki-Kun…looks comfy."

I felt my jaw drop as heat flooded my cheeks at her response.

"Inoue-San is right," Ishida said. "Besides, we don't have anything else to give him to hold on to."

"Sorry," Chad said, lightly bowing his head as he made his way to the door; Orihime and Ishida quickly followed.

I whimpered, hoping that they would hear the pathetic noise and come running to help me. Not a single one of them looked back!

"Traitors!" I screeched, struggling against Ichigo's hold.

After a few minutes of no progress whatsoever, I heaved a heavy sigh of defeat and fell limp. My forehead landed on Ichigo's chest, and I didn't even feel like moving; I was more focused on getting my breath back. Struggling for minutes on hand felt more demanding than you'd think.

Bored, I angled my head so I was staring at Ichigo.

This was one of the few times that I had seen his face so peaceful looking. Of course, I didn't expect that he'd sleep with that scowl on his face, but I didn't expect him to look so at ease. It was…comforting to see him so relaxed. Not only that, but listening to his steady heart beat was relaxing too. Like him, his heartbeat was strong.

My gaze traveled from his face, down his to his chest. I could feel my own chest constrict when I saw the large scar. His Shihakusho was a little looser than normal, so the front was open a bit wider; that's why a portion of his newest scar was exposed.

Who was responsible for that scar? I felt like I wanted to hurt them just as badly; mar their body, whether it be perfect or not. I remember Urahara and Ichigo talking… I knew that Kuchiki-Taicho had been there that night. Renji as well. But… Renji couldn't have done that, could he?

No, I thought as my gaze trailed over to the white cloth wrapped around my upper arm, Renji wouldn't do that. I mean, he might if he thought Rukia was in any danger, but I didn't want to think of it coming down to that. I trusted Renji.

Kuchiki-Taicho had to have left that scar. He would let nothing stand in his way; he'd even be cruel enough to shatter someone's existence as a Shinigami, leaving them lying in cold blood. He was a Taicho, after all.

Shakily, I reached my free hand up. I traced what was visible of Ichigo's scar, feeling my eyes soften. He'd been through so much…and yet he was still fighting. I then trailed my light touch up, tracing along his strong jaw.

I tensed once my hand strayed to his cheek, warm against his cool face. Ichigo moved a bit, unconsciously leaning into my touch. Biting my lip, I tried to keep the smile off of my face; although I didn't want to admit it, this was really cute. He was almost like a little kid wanting to cuddle close to someone. I was surprised when he let go of my hand, taking to wrapping his other arm around me as well and tugging me up and closer to him.

"I-Ichigo?" I tentatively asked, wondering if he had woken up. However, I didn't get a response; he was still sound asleep, judging from the soothing rhythmic sounds of his deep breathing. My breath hitched in my throat as he buried his face in the crook of my neck, gently nuzzling before releasing a small sigh. "You better be sound asleep."

Fidgeting a bit, I tried to find a comfortable position without jostling Ichigo too much; he could wake up at any moment, and I wasn't going to take the chance of him waking up this close to me. My eyes trailed across the portion of the room that I could see, though it was mainly the ceiling. It was late but I wasn't tired yet. That was probably because I was way out of my comfort zone being this close to someone.

Orange.

My eyes kept traveling back to the head of orange hair that was a bit above me. I had always wondered what he did to it to make it look so spiky. Did he just brush it and leave it at that? Or did he maybe put gel or mousse in it to get it to spike just right? Well, he's sound asleep right now, so he'd never know if I touched it…

Giggling a bit, I reached up and ran my fingers slowly through those orange locks. I could feel my eyes widen in shock; his hair was much softer than what I thought it would be. It was probably even softer than my own hair! I could feel a grin tugging at the corners of my lips as I lightly tugged on one of the spikes that stuck up; they just seemed to naturally defy gravity on their own.

"…Mm…" Ichigo hummed as my nails lightly raked across his scalp, his breath hot against my neck.

I froze, turning rigid in Ichigo's grip. All that was going through my mind was, 'Oh shit!' I hoped I didn't wake him up. This was a much too compromising position to wake up to.

After a few moments of nothing else happening, I began to relax. He was still asleep. That was both good and bad.

This was going to be a long night.

• • •

I didn't have any nightmares.

I was quite shocked at first when I woke up, feeling quite refreshed for a change. I could tell that I had slept longer than usual and it was revitalizing.

Ichigo was still deep asleep when I woke up, but again, I counted this as a blessing. I didn't want to be around when he did wake up. That would be too awkward. So I had to think of a plan on how to get away without waking him up.

Easier said than done.

Hearing the sliding door open, I froze. Who in their right mind would be coming in here now? Unless they wanted to offer help, knowing that I'd suffered through enough.

"You look pretty comfortable." Ganju's voice drawled, smirking as he entered the room and carefully shut the door behind him.

"Shut it, Ganju." I snapped, craning my neck so I could glare at the younger Shiba sibling. "This is highly uncomfortable; I've been thinking of ways to get away the whole time."

Lies, but hopefully he believed them.

"Uh-huh," Ganju blankly nodded, rolling his eyes. "You're a Shinigami and you can't even escape a sleeping one? Pathetic…"

My eyes cut to two icy blue slits, "I'd like to see you try; this guy's strength is insane. Besides, I know strength isn't my forte."

"I'll say." Ganju muttered, sitting down a few feet from us.

"Why are you even here, Ganju?" I asked, rolling my eyes. If his goal was to annoy me, then mission accomplished. If he would only go away then maybe I could think of something to do to get out of Ichigo's hold.

The younger Shiba's eyes narrowed, looking down at the floor. "Why are you trying so hard to save a criminal?"

"Huh?" I asked, blinking.

Where did this change of heart come from? I don't recall Ganju ever saying more than a couple of words to me, if that, because I was a Shinigami. Now he was asking serious questions about my motive? Was he sleep walking or something?

"I mean, why are you trying to save that other Shinigami chick? Is it for money? Did you promise to save her or anything?" He asked, meeting my questioning gaze head on. "Why does this mean so much to you?"

"Rukia's my friend." I answered, my gaze lingering to the ceiling. "She was the very first friend that I made. When I was young, all the other kids thought that I was weird. I could see things that they couldn't; they thought I was crazy. I eventually became a Shinigami years later and I met Rukia. She didn't think I was too weird. She accepted me for who I was…" I trailed off, before sighing and continuing. "I don't know what I'd do without her, if they did execute her. I'd consider her family… I've already lost everyone else; I don't want to lose her too."

Ganju merely scoffed. I slowly turned my gaze towards him, glaring.

"You two are different."

"Excuse me?" I asked, warily blinking at Ganju and willing for more of an explanation. Of course we were different; I'd never met two people exactly the same.

"I mean you and Ichigo. You're both different from the other Shinigami." He clarified, his eyes not meeting my own.

I slightly nodded, trying not to jostle the sleeping Ichigo who was still in the crook of my neck. "Of course we're different. We have our own ideals; we haven't taken up the Shinigami's rules and society. We're still human. We value life more and appreciate it."

Ganju was quiet for a few moments, taking what I had said in. I had to admit that I jumped a bit when he flew to his feet and walked over right beside us.

"Wha-?" I questioned, eyes widening when he skillfully dug two fingers into Ichigo's upper arm and the entire limb went limp. I smiled, slowly wiggling free from his hold.

Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed a bit in his sleep and he rolled onto his back, but he still stayed in his deep sleep. I bitterly laughed, my eyes traveling from his body to Ganju. "Was it really that easy?"

"Yeah," Ganju shrugged, scratching his nose as he looked away from my gaze. "Now go and freshen up. We'll be leaving soon anyway."

"Really? When?" I asked, feeling my eyes widen as I scurried to my feet. I was unaware that we'd be leaving so soon. Or had we really been asleep for that long?

"We're launching at sunrise." He answered, "Now scram. I've got to practice something."

Chuckling, I smiled. "Of course. I'll see you later."

"Whatever," Ganju shrugged, waving me off.

I paused by the sliding door, turning towards the younger Shiba sibling. Maybe he was a person than I had first thought. "Thank you, Ganju."


	41. Chapter Forty

• • •

"Good; everyone is here." Yoruichi noted, nodding her cat head in acknowledgement as Ichigo and Ishida joined us. We were waiting outside. Dawn was fast approaching, that would be our signal to leave.

"Yes," Ishida answered, puffing himself up a bit to appear taller. I rolled my eyes at his behavior. Yoruichi wasn't that scary in cat form. Just wait until they got to see what she really looked like.

Ichigo blinked in confusion, bringing a hand up so he could point at the cat. "Yoruichi-San, why is your tail in a zigzag shape all of a sudden?"

As if on cue, every one of us whipped our heads towards Ichigo. Our jaws were dropped and eyes wide in horror. He really did have no recollection of last night!

"You…got a problem with that?!" Yoruichi seethed, a dangerous aura surrounding her as she craned her head to the side to glare at Ichigo. He gulped under the searing golden gaze, eyes wide.

"Uh, no…" Ichigo stammered, his hand still up and pointing at Yoruichi. "It's as pretty as ever..!"

Ishida quickly dragged Ichigo back a few steps, away from the clearly still fuming Yoruichi. "Idiot," The archer hissed. "You're the one who did that!"

"I did?" Ichigo whispered back, looking clueless.

"After your cannonball exploded, Yoruichi-San was going to explain our plan for when we infiltrate the Seireitei. Then all of a sudden you fell asleep! While you slept you grabbed Yoruichi-San's tail and wouldn't let go! Everyone worked together to make you let go, but the tail has looked like that since… I suggest that you avoid the subject altogether…"

"I…I understand…" The strawberry murmured, watching Yoruichi walk away. Her zigzag tail bobbing with the movement.

"Hey!" Kukaku called, bored. "What's Ganju doing?"

Ichigo shrugged, placing his hands on his hips as he looked away from the elder Shiba sibling. "Don't know. He was reading something downstairs…"

"Hold on a minute!"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, huh?

"The heroes…always arrive a little later!" Ganju proudly stated, winking.

"…What are you wearing?" Ichigo asked incredulously, eyebrows narrowing.

Ganju grinned, gesturing to himself with his thumb. "This is my special battle suit! Cool, huh? No matter how much you beg, I won't let you try it on! Serves you right!"

"Battle suit?" I questioned, curiously blinking. Did that mean he was coming with us?

"Yeah, why are you wearing a battle suit? Aren't you just coming to see us off?" Ichigo asked.

Everyone was silent for a few moments as Ganju's eyes narrowed as he looked at the grass. After that, he stomped towards Ichigo and grabbed a fistful of his Shihakusho.

"My Onii-San was… killed in cold blood by Shinigami!" Ganju ground out, his face close to Ichigo's. I heard the echoing gasps of everyone else at the accusation Ganju's words possessed.

It wasn't that surprising if you thought about it, actually. During the past couple of months I had learned more about the Soul Society than I would have liked to know. Remember what they did to those Mod-Souls? What they did to the Quincy? It would explain why Ganju was the self-proclaimed Shinigami hater in the district.

"Ganju, shut-!" Kukaku began to yell, rising to her feet as she glared at her younger brother.

"Nee-Chan, don't interrupt me. Just listen!" Ganju asserted, successfully causing Kukaku to freeze in shock. "My Onii-San was a genius. He passed the entrance exam for the Shinigami Academy in one try. His reiatsu was at level six, at par with the Fukutaicho of the 13th Division. Then he finished the six year curriculum in just two years and became an official Shinigami. Five years later he became a Fukutaicho. But then he was killed; betrayed by his Shinigami partner!"

I gasped, eyes widening.

A Fukutaicho was killed by his partner? Did that mean that someone in his division, the 13th Division no less, killed him? It would have had to have been someone under him… Ukitake-Taicho wouldn't have killed him!

Then… Did that mean that Ganju's older brother was the last Fukutaicho of my division? I don't think that Ukitake-Taicho has ever seen anyone else capable of filling the spot after his last Fukutaicho…

Was that the elder Shiba sibling?

"I was young and I don't know all the details, but… there are two things that I will never forget! The cold eyes of that Shinigami that brought my dying Onii-San back, and… the smiling face of my Onii-San as he thanked the Shinigami." Ganju paused, looking down for a fraction of a second before looking into Ichigo's eyes with determination. "…I don't know why, but… not once did my Onii-San speak out in hatred against Shinigami! I want to know the reason why he never hated Shinigami! The reason why he believed in Shinigami even in death!"

Well, I thought that the reason was obvious; he was a Fukutaicho. He was committed to his Division and the Soul Society. I'd never heard of a Taicho or Fukutaicho betraying the Soul Society. They were its fiercest protectors.

Ganju's eyes narrowed, tugging Ichigo even closer. "You are different from other Shinigami! I can feel it! Both of you!" His eyes flickered to me for a moment, before moving back to Ichigo. "If I go with you guys, I know I will discover the reasons! So I will lend you a hand on this one! I will see with my own eyes what Shinigami are like!"

"Ganju-Kun…" Orihime murmured, eyes wide and watering from his touching story. She wasn't the only one that was touched; Ganju's fellow gang members were all crying, as were Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko.

"Hah," Kukaku scoffed, resting her forearms on her crossed legs. "It seems like you've made up your mind… Just don't run away mid-way, brat!" Her smirk stretched across her features, giving her a feral look. "If you want to do it, give it everything you've got!"

"Yeah!" Ganju exclaimed, pumped up.

Ichigo skillfully karate chopped Ganju's wrist, causing the other man to drop his hold on his Shihakusho. Surprisingly, Ichigo reached forward and grabbed a fistful of Ganju's shirt, tugging him close.

Looking down at him, Ichigo's eyebrows narrowed in his signature scowl. "Watch my back."

Ganju scoffed, eyes narrowing. "Why you..!"

"Is everyone ready?!" Kukaku called out, smirking as she turned away from us. Looking back over her shoulder she called out, "I'm not waiting any longer, brats! Ready?"

"Let's go!" I cheered, pumping my fist in the air as I looked straight ahead at the cannon with determination etched on my eyes.

We would save Rukia; I'd make sure of it.

But, I'd also make sure that I found some answers about the previous Fukutaicho of my Division. Who had killed him and why? And more importantly, was he really Ganju's elder brother? A Shiba?

"Huh?" Ichigo asked, drawing my attention as he looked down at the spirit core that he had probably just been handed not too long ago. "Uh, are we going to be using the same orb to make a cannonball? We trained like our lives were on the line to finally succeed in the end…"

"Only you trained so hard, Ichigo." I stated, grinning up at the strawberry as he glared down at me.

"Anyways, Yoruichi-San, can you even do it?" Ichigo asked, looking down at the small black cat.

"You don't have to worry about that," Yoruichi said, looking up at the spirit core in his hands. "Oi, just put it on the ground."

Ichigo was quick to comply, probably still remembering that Yoruichi might not have fully forgiven him yet for messing up her tail. As soon as the orb touched the grass, Yoruichi nimbly jumped on top of the core. Not even a second later, a perfect cannonball was formed. Yoruichi was floating on the ball in the middle of the air, nodding in satisfaction.

"As I thought, it's as natural as breathing for me." Yoruichi stated, before sticking her nose up in the air in smug accomplishment as her golden eyes spotted Ichigo down on his hands and knees. He was the perfect example of woe. "Are you disappointed? Do you feel more inferior?! You trained 'like your life was on the line' to do it and I just did it without even trying. Did that make you feel inferior? Fufufu!"

I bit my lip, grinning. "Yoruichi, while I can empathize with you wanting to make Ichigo feel inferior, I'd have to suggest that you don't do it now. Not with us about to fly into the Seireitei. We can't have him depressed and suicidal, can we?"

"Oh, I suppose not." Yoruichi replied, the cat shrugging her shoulders. "I can always tease him about it later."

"There, much better." I nodded, grinning.

"You're not helping!" Ichigo exclaimed, jumping to his feet and pointing an accusing finger down at me. "You shouldn't be talking; you didn't even practice either!"

Shrugging, I crossed my arms. "Of course I didn't. Like what Yoruichi just said, it comes as natural as breathing. Remember, I told you I was much better at Kido than anything else. That's the basis of all Kido."

Ichigo looked thoughtful for a moment. "So that's how you heal people? Using that technique?"

"Yeah," I nodded, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. "Why are you asking?"

"No reason. I just didn't know it was that difficult."

"I know; you'd probably never get the hang of it." I teased, smirking up at him.

"Hey! Get inside, all of you!" Kukaku called out, "I'm going to begin!"

• • •

We were all sealed within the large canon. It was bigger inside than I originally thought it would be; we were all able to fit with ample room. Although we were kind of crowded together in the center, almost standing shoulder to shoulder so we could all reach to touch the spirit core.

"Everyone, listen." Yoruichi commanded, her eyes shining up at us from her perch on top of the spirit core. "Don't wander off by yourselves after we're in. If you encounter a Taicho, run! You won't have a hope of winning. Our objective is to rescue Rukia. That's all. Do not, I repeat, do not take any unnecessary risks!"

It was quiet as we took in her words, imprinting them into our minds.

No unnecessary risks.

Rukia comes first.

My eyes traveled across everyone while we were waiting for the signal. Orihime was on my right side, looking pretty nervous. Next to her was Ishida. Next to him was Chad, who looked calm and stoic as ever. Ganju was next to Chad. Ichigo was to my left, my shoulder brushing against his upper arm.

"There! The red bronze desire demands thirty-six degrees of adjustment!" Kukaku's voice rang out, faintly echoing inside of the cannon that we were standing in.

Yoruichi's eyes widened, "It has begun! Pour in your energy!"

All of our poured our energy into the spirit core, watching as it stretched and expanded to form the protective cannonball around us.

"Seventy-two pairs of illusions. Thirteen pairs of whistles. The right hand of the monkey…grasps the stars! Embracing twenty-five suns, the cradle of sand is bleeding. Kakaku Style Version Two! Kagizaki!"

With a boom, we were slung into the air. When I opened my eyes, which had closed at the loud noise, I saw the ground a great distance away from us; not only that, but we were up in the air, upside down!

"Wow..!" Orihime and I echoed each other, gaping at our view.

"The impact wasn't as great as I thought it'd be…" Ichigo noted, looking down below us as well.

"Heh, idiot!" Ganju sneered, smirking at us. "It has just begun!"

"Huh?" I asked, tilting my head to the side as I leaned over Ichigo so I could get a look at Ganju. "What do you mean?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, the cannonball took a sharp turn. And when I say a sharp turn, I mean a sharp turn; if my angles were right, it looked like we'd shot out at a ninety degree angle!

"WAAAAAHHHH!" Everyone screamed, looking up and watching the clouds whip past us at alarming speeds.

"Che," Ganju scoffed as he pulled a folded scroll from the inside of his shirt. With a grunt, he undid the string holding it tied together with his teeth, letting the scroll unfold so he could read the writing.

"Oi? What are you doing?" Ichigo questioned, turning his head to the side to get a better look at Ganju.

Ganju looked up from the scroll with an irritated look on his face. "This is the 'Follow-Up Incantation!' The Version Two has a two part incantation! The 'initial incantation' decides on the direction, then the follow-up maintains the speed and stability! That way, we'll land right on target! If you want to walk out of this alive, don't bug me!"

"O…Okay…" Ichigo nodded.

"Next… Listen, everyone!" Ganju called out. "To pass through the barrier safely, the cannonball must be kept stable! Thus, we have to regulate everyone's reiatsu emission level uniformly! However, I have to read the incantation, so… I won't be able to focus on my emission. Therefore I need everyone to compensate for me! You should be able to detect any change in my emission level through the orb. Please adjust accordingly! If we mess up, we're screwed! Please be careful!"

"Got it," I nodded, feeling my eyebrows furrow as my eyes shined in concentration. Before my eyes, I could almost see the amount of reiatsu they were releasing.

"Okay." Ishida looked down, concentrating on the spirit core. Needless to say, we'd probably be the best at doing this, so we made it our mission to monitor the energy output. Maybe it was the Quincy in us that made us so adapt at sensing, but we'd put it to good use.

Ganju's eyes shown in determination as he pulled the scroll back so he could read from the beginning. "Kakaku Style…Version Two! Follow-Up Incantation!"

I closed my eyes for a moment, getting a good feel of everyone's reiatsu. Everyone was at different levels; this was going to be a disaster. The levels were all over the place, rapidly changing.

"Fate of the three sparrows, fate of four dragons, no road in five directions, no return in six miles. Wind, gorilla, spoon, cane…"

"Ichigo," I spoke over Ganju's chant, cracking one eye open as I looked up at the strawberry. "You're releasing a bit too much."

"Oh…okay…" Ichigo nodded, meeting my eyes for a second before looking down at his hands resting next to mine on the orb as he tried to lower his reiatsu emission. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in and slowly released it. "…Okay…"

"Kurosaki! Lower it some more!" Ishida demanded, glasses glinting in the lighting as he stared across to look at Ichigo.

"I… I know! I'm lowering!"

"Ichigo…" Chad mumbled.

"I said I know!" Ichigo yelled, still trying to lower his output.

"A thousand ashes, a thousand intellects, the sum of white clouds…"

"Kurosaki-Kun… a little more…" Orihime winced, knowing that she was about to get yelled at.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, glaring at the spirit orb. "I know! I'm trying! Hold on!"

"Tilting toward the yin, away from the fiery red shadows. A thousand ashes, a thousand intellects…"

I sighed, this wasn't going smoothly at all! Ichigo's reiatsu emission was still way off the map compared to everyone else's… And getting him this agitated wasn't helping in the least bit; his reiatsu seemed a bit messier than it was before.

"Damn you! I read the same line twice!" Ganju yelled, leaning over to yell in Ichigo's face. It looked like tears were gathering in his eyes; was it really so bad that he messed up and read the same line twice?

Ichigo bristled, eyebrows narrowing. "Why are you yelling at me?!"

"I lost my concentration because you were yelling and screaming, dumbass!" Ganju accused, glaring at the strawberry.

Orihime meekly looked between the two. "This isn't the time to fight!"

"You both need to calm down; when you get this upset your reiatsu levels increase and become messier. Get a grip on yourselves!" I ordered, sternly gazing up at Ichigo and Ganju, looking between the both of them.

"Inoue-San and Kokawa-San are correct! You both need to stop it." Ishida agreed, narrowing his eyebrows as well.

"Quit it!" I ordered, glaring at them as they continued to glare at each other, foreheads pressed together. They were trying to push one another back, both glaring at the other.

"Hey…" Chad spoke up, eyes widening. "Look outside..!"

"That's the Seireitei!" I exclaimed, eyes widening in recognition.

Everyone braced themselves as we continued to head straight towards the Seireitei. We were getting so close I could make out some of the individual buildings.

"We're going to crash..!" Ishida called out, panicking.

"It's no use!" Yoruichi yelled, "Everyone pour in all your reiatsu! Make the cannonball as hard as possible!"

"Let's do it!" Ichigo yelled in determination, his reiatsu spiking to high levels as he focused on it as best as he could. I nodded in understanding, instantly releasing as much reiatsu as I could at once; although, I knew I needed to save some reiatsu for whatever we'd face once we actually got into the Seireitei.

We watched, counting down the seconds until our cannonball would collide with the protective barrier that spanned over the entire Seireitei. It didn't take long before I could visualize the barrier, our small orb drawing closer with each passing second as it continued to speed towards the Seireitei.

With a large jostle, we collided. I could see the ripples of disturbance; the barrier was trying to either push us away or dissolve our spirit particles like Kukaku had warned. Sparks were literally flying, dancing around us and crackling.

Ichigo grit his teeth, "Go through..!"

Slowly but surely, the orb flitted through the barrier.

However, once we were through, it popped just like a bubble.

I gasped in surprise, trying to catch my breath when I realized that we weren't falling to our death; we were merely just floating in the air. Dense wisps of reiatsu from the spirit orb still surrounded us, which was probably keeping us floating in the air.

"Wha…What's going on?" Ichigo questioned, blinking in surprise as he floated around in the air. "It's good we got through the shield, but why aren't we falling to the ground?"

"Everybody stay together!" Yoruichi ordered, yelling as loud as she could so all of us could hear her. "Right now, the cannonball has hit the shield and is dissolving, and they're only momentarily intertwined."

I looked up at Yoruichi, my eyes widening. "Then that means…"

"Yes," The cat nodded. "Soon it will begin to whirl and form a tornado, then it will burst and be destroyed. If we separate, then we will be sent flying to different directions!"

The sound of rushing wind met my ears, causing me to curse softly. The tornado was beginning to form! The wisps of reiatsu that had surrounded us converged and began to spin around us, just like a real tornado. Not only that, but the wind kicked up and sent us flying around. Even Chad was useless in the violent winds..!

"It's begun!" Yoruichi exclaimed, being spun around by the wind currents.

"Woooo!" Ganju exclaimed, being sucked backward by the winds. "Dammit! I ain't gonna fly away!" And so, he began an awkward swimming motion to try and pull himself out of the current. It worked, and he swam over to Ichigo and hung onto him. "We have to stay together!"

However, when he came into contact with Ichigo, both were knocked down further into the vortex.

Ichigo struggled and kicked, "Wah-! Let me go! Get away from me!"

"Everyone, hold on to the person closest to you!" Yoruichi commanded, her voice full of authority. "Don't ever let go!"

I looked around, trying to see who was closest to me. Chad was a little ways away and Ishida was even further. Orihime was the closest, so we awkwardly maneuvered through the air towards one another.

"Jun-Chan!" Orihime breathed out, a bit relieved that so far we were all okay.

I nodded up at her, grinning. "Don't worry. We'll find a way out of this."

The auburn haired girl nodded, slightly smiling down at me. As my red and black hair fluttered across my eyes, I drew one hand away from my hold on her to push my bangs back behind my ear.

"Sado-Kun is close, we should go towards him!" Orihime suggested.

Nodding, I agreed with her. Chad would be like a huge anchor; I don't think we'd get blown around as much with him around. However, Chad was reaching for Ishida.

Ishida was quickly flying away, soon to be out of our reach. Chad called his name, reaching once more for him. The next thing I knew, Ishida broke through the tornado!

Chad was quick to follow, though. Reaching for the archer, he roughly grabbed onto the front of his Quincy clothing and threw him back up into the vortex. Orihime and I crudely caught him, our hands on his shoulder.

"Chad!" I exclaimed, eyes widening once I saw Chad quickly falling through the air; he was outside of the vortex and was falling quickly.

"Sado-Kun!" Orihime was quick to mimic my call, gasping in horror as we watched him speed away from us.

"Ch…Chad!" I heard Ichigo shout from somewhere behind us. I turned my head, staring up at the strawberry. Yoruichi was on his shoulder, and he had an arm slung around Ganju's neck while he was gripping on the front of his shirt. Ganju also had a hold of the front of Ichigo's Shihakusho.

I grit my teeth, turning around and watching Chad fall towards the Seireitei; he was surrounded by a reddish orange glow. It was probably burning up from the friction of falling from this height.

"Don't worry! He'll find a way to survive!" Yoruichi assured. "Don't mind it! If you want to find him, you have to worry about yourself first!"

"Damn..!" Ichigo cursed, shaking his head.

All of us locked gazes, urging ourselves closer; we needed to stay together. To do so, Orihime, Ishida, and I had to swim towards Ichigo, Ganju, and Yoruichi.

"Jun!" Ichigo called out, stretching his hand out towards me. He grit his teeth at the distance between us, but we were steadily getting closer.

Orihime's grip on my other hand tightened once I reached for Ichigo's outstretched hand.

"Ichigo..!" I yelled, mentally cursing my short arm span.

We were so close..!

Yet, the closer we got, it seemed like the slower we moved towards one another. His fingers were inches away from mine, close to brushing against my own.

I winced, shutting my eyes as a bright light flashed. The already strong winds picked up even more, become more turbulent. I felt Ichigo's hand bump mine for a second, before I was sent flying back. The motion jostled my grip on Orihime's hand, causing our hold to break. Screaming, I was forced away from everyone.


	42. Chapter Forty-One

• • •

I winced, shutting my eyes as a bright light flashed. The already strong winds picked up even more, become more turbulent. I felt Ichigo's hand bump mine for a second, before I was sent flying back. The motion jostled my grip on Orihime's hand, causing our hold to break. Screaming, I was forced away from everyone.

• • •

Zaraki Kenpachi, Taicho of the Eleventh Division, narrowed his eyes at his subordinates. "What the hell?! We've searched all night and still nothing!"

"How disappointing," Yachiru, the Fukutaicho of said division, sighed. The pink haired girl peered over Kenpachi's shoulder, staring down at the lower ranking members who were bowing in fear; they had yet to find the Ryoka that were supposed to be entering the Seireitei.

"Hey, you can go back to your post now!" The spiky haired Taicho ordered, snapping at his members. He was upset that there had been no news about the Ryoka; if there wasn't any news about them, then who was he supposed to fight?

They had already survived an assault from Ichimaru, a fellow captain of the Gotei Thirteen. They had to be strong.

Kenpachi's ears twitched, hearing a new sound. "Ah? What's that…sound..?"

Turning around, the Taicho looked up into the sky. That's where the sound had originated. A bright light began to shine high up in the sky, growing larger with each passing second.

"Damn," Kenpachi cursed, watching as minutes passed and the light began to glow a bright orange. Somehow, the reiatsu had become unstable, forcing whatever had passed through the shield that protected the Seireitei to explode.

Looking up at the sky, he smirked. "They separated into five..!"

Kenpachi's one free eye danced between the five points of the explosion; each of them seemed to be roughly the size of a human. Every one of the groups was traveling fast, soaring across the sky and towards varying points across the Soul Society.

"Which one…?" The Eleventh Division Taicho asked, a sadistic grin pulling his lips back. "Which one is…the strongest?!"

• • •

I winced, opening my eyes.

The orange glow surrounded me, fully encasing me in a warm embrace. However, the light was bright and stung at my eyes. I looked around, seeing that I was all alone.

"Maybe it's better this way…" I sighed, narrowing my eyebrows as I watched the buildings approach. Luckily, I didn't see any Shinigami scurrying around. Maybe I had traveled farther than the others?

Whatever the case, I was glad that I was heading towards an abandoned area. I knew what I had to do to save myself, but it would have easily given me away to any of the Shinigami roaming around.

My hand flew in front of me, palm pointing outwards and towards the quickly approaching ground. Concentrating on my reiatsu, I prepared for the Kido that I was about to use. "Bakudo #37: Tsuriboshi..!"

My reiatsu sparked in my palm, moving together to form a blue sphere. I soon fired the sphere from my hand, watching as it grew bigger and sparked when it was in the air. In a flash, six points spaced equally around the sphere exploded. Blue reiatsu ropes fired out of the sphere, embedding itself to anything sturdy that it could find; the walls of a nearby storage building and a tree mainly. Once the ropes hit and latched onto the surface, the remaining sphere sparked once more and expanded. It stretched in each of the six directions, forming what looked like a trampoline.

In all actually, it was remarkably similar to a trampoline. Although I think this would be considered more along the lines of a safety net; like something you would find underneath an acrobat when they performed.

While I was still falling, I twisted my body so that I was falling and looking up at the sky. It would feel better if my back met the net rather than my face.

I winced once I collided with the Kido spell, praying that it was strong enough to keep me from splattering on the ground. So many things could have gone wrong… and I hadn't performed Kido in quite a while…

But it turns out that I had nothing to worry about. My back collided with the net, and I was bounced downward. It was like a huge spring; I was kept from hitting the ground and bounced up and down until the net finally settled down.

"It landed somewhere over here..!"

"Hurry!"

"We don't want it to escape!"

Silently cursing, I glared at the directions of the voices. None of them I recognized, but I would have been surprised if I did recognize any of them. Seireitei was a large place and I only knew a handful of Shinigami.

In the blink of an eye, I used flash step and disappeared from the scene. I knew that they'd find the Kido spell; I didn't have enough time to remove all the traces that a spell left once it'd been cast. They'd know that a Shinigami was on our side. In fact, they might even already know that I'm among the 'Ryoka.'

I flashed stepped onto a nearby roof, trying as best I could to cloak my reiatsu as the Shinigami approached. I peered over the edge of the roof, lowering my body down so I wouldn't be seen as easily.

"There's no one here!" A Shinigami from the crowd exclaimed, angrily stomping his foot.

Another one of the Shinigami scoffed. "Are you stupid? Do you not see the remnants of a Kido spell?"

"A what?" Another Shinigami echoed, scratching his dark hair that was pulled into a side ponytail.

"A Kido..!" The leader of the small squadron, I'm assuming, exclaimed as he turned around to glare at the other Shinigami in the group. "See that huge net? Obviously it was used to catch whoever was falling! They're probably long gone by now!"

"S-S-Sorry, sir!" The group stuttered, all bowing at the waist.

I snickered, watching them bicker among themselves. Really, they didn't have a nice squadron leader. He thought he knew it all, and so, he ordered everyone around. Of course nobody would listen to him and do as he said. I know I wouldn't listen if I were placed in that group.

"Let's go! We can't let the intruder escape!"

"Yeah!"

"We'll go left, you go right!"

"The Ryoka seem tricky! Look closely!"

Heaving a sigh, I leaned back against the roof. The squadron had just run off, looking for any trace of the 'Ryoka.' They didn't know that I was up here watching them the whole time. Tricky indeed. If they couldn't even sense that I had been here the whole time, then none of them were worth my time. Besides, I doubt any of them would have known where Rukia is being held.

And that's a big problem: I have no clue where Rukia's at right now.

"Where do they keep criminals?" I muttered to myself, crossing my arms as my eyes shifted to the sky.

Representative Shinigami or not, they still should have taught me their customs. If they had, then I would probably know where Rukia was being held until she was executed. I was only placed in the combat classes…they didn't want me learning about the history of the Soul Society or their laws. I remember them telling me that it would be meaningless to teach me all of that material.

Maybe they had a feeling that I'd turn traitor and help bust a criminal?

 _"_ _No, I don't think so."_ Ankoku-Tatsu hummed, _"_ _The whole situation was new for them; they'd never had a human display Shinigami powers before. So they did what they thought was best. Either way, you wouldn't be able to become one of them officially until you were dead. Even to this day, I'm surprised that they haven't tried to kill you."_

"I know," I whispered, cutting my eyes to the side as I watched more Shinigami pass by. "But what I learned then isn't helping me now."

 _"_ _Think about it logically."_ Anko responded, sounding calm. I envied that about her; she was always calm, no matter the situation at hand. _"_ _Where would they normally keep their criminals?"_

"Well…" I hedged, feeling my eyebrows furrow with the intensity of my thoughts. "My best guess would be that they'd keep the criminals in the holding cells. I remember passing by some of them in my division one day. Most of them were empty, but they were still jail cells. Do you think they'd keep Rukia in the Thirteenth Division holding cells?"

 _"_ _That'd be one of the best places to look."_ My Zanpakuto spirit answered, nodding her head in my mind's eye. _"_ _However, I'm guessing that those holding cells are for petty crimes. If Rukia really is waiting to be executed, I'm thinking that they would place her somewhere else."_

"Yeah," I breathed out quietly, closing my eyes in frustration. "But I don't know my way around the Seireitei well enough to know what all of the buildings are. I'm sure they've got a special place to keep her, but I just don't know where that would be."

 _"_ _They might even be keeping her in the Sixth Division holding cells."_ Ankoku-Tatsu reasoned. " _Renji and Kuchiki-Taicho were sent to capture Rukia in the World of the Living. Because of this, and the fact that Kuchiki-Taicho is Rukia's adopted brother, they might be keeping her in Sixth. That is his division after all, correct?"_

"Kuchiki Byakuya is the Taicho of the Sixth Division." I muttered, feeling my eyes narrow in a glare. "His is Rukia's brother, although I don't know why he even bothered with adopting her; especially when he was the one to capture her."

If dragons were capable of shrugging, I'm sure Ankoku-Tatsu would have shrugged. _"_ _You don't know what motivates him. He's a Taicho; he operates on a completely different level."_

"Don't I know it…" I scoffed. "But first I need to focus on the others. I need to know if they're alright. Who knows, knowing them they've probably already gotten into a load of trouble."

 _"_ _Yes, I can already feel their reiatsu flaring."_ The Zanpakuto spirit said, _"_ _I can feel confrontations occurring all over the Seireitei."_

I nodded, closing my eyes in concentration.

Ichigo's was the first flare that I recognized. Like I had told him earlier, I was well attuned with the feel of his reiatsu. It was strong; his opponent, whose own reiatsu seemed a bit familiar (although I couldn't place the feel of their reiatsu with a name), didn't seem like he'd be a match for Ichigo.

Ganju…he'd be someone that I'd worry about. He didn't have much reiatsu to begin with; he was neither a Shinigami nor a human. He was a spirit from Rukongai who possessed enough power to perform little Kido like spells and such. His opponent, however, seemed strong.

Chad's reiatsu was sturdy. I knew he was safe and alive.

Ishida and Orihime's were close together. They were probably grouped together when we fell. I'd have to trust Ishida to keep Orihime safe. She wasn't much of a fighter at all. And I had promised Tatsuki that I would look after her… I wouldn't let her get hurt. Tatsuki knew more than everyone assumed…she was great at putting two and two together.

I could also feel Yoruichi's faint reiatsu. When she was in that cat form, it was harder to feel anything from her. But she was prowling somewhere nearby.

 _"_ _Everyone's fine,"_ My Zanpakuto spirit reasoned.

"I know. I can feel it." I whispered, placing my hand over my heart as I counted the steady beats. We promised to ourselves that we'd rescue Rukia, even if our own lives were put at stake. "Let's go."

• • •

"Third Division?!" I shrieked, eyes wide. "You've got to be kidding me!"

With my luck, I had landed somewhere in the Third Division.

How did I know this?

Well, after I checked for everyone's reiatsu and made sure that they were all in good shape, Ankoku-Tatsu suggested that I scout around to see where I was. After all, I needed to know where I was if I was going to head towards my division.

"Luck just isn't on my side, eh?" I scoffed and crossed my arms over my chest as I glared up at the large three printed inside the Gotei symbol that was painted on one of the buildings.

 _"_ _Hurry and move."_ My Zanpakuto spirit ordered. _"_ _I don't like the feeling of this division. Ichimaru has always made me feel uneasy…"_

I nodded, completely agreeing with her on that one.

Ichimaru Gin was probably the creepiest Taicho out of all thirteen of them; unless you counted the Twelfth Division Taicho. Ichimaru-Taicho just gave me chills. His smile sent shivers of fear down my spine. Sure many people compared him to a fox, but I think he's more like a snake. We'd already encountered him once; hopefully that'll be the last we'll see of him while we're here.

Shaking my head to dispel my thoughts, I flash stepped throughout the Division. I tried to hide my reiatsu because I didn't want to be found so easily.

It didn't take too long until I recognized that I was in the Fourth Division territory. Unohana-Taicho was another Taicho that I wouldn't want to mess with. She could be downright scary when she smiled. However, I did slow my pace a bit throughout this division; the Fourth Shinigami weren't fighters, they were healers.

I did notice that the Fourth Division seemed really empty. Many of their Shinigami were out of sight and their roads were empty.

"Something doesn't feel right." I whispered, placing my hand on Ankoku-Tatsu's hilt. "Usually the Fourth Division is as busy as a beehive. Why would it be so silent here?"

 _"_ _Think about it. Ichigo's reiatsu is still steady; that must mean that he defeated whomever he was fighting against. There's no telling how many other Shinigami that he's attracted and defeated."_

"True," I said, blinking in realization.

It did make sense. Especially when you took into consideration how Ichigo just ran flat out towards the Seireitei when we first arrived in the Soul Society. That kind of jumping the gun got us on their radar in the first place. Naturally he'd just run around until he found out where Rukia was, defeating numerous Shinigami along the way. That's just how his mind worked; action first, consequences later.

Maybe that's how I needed to go about this:

Act first, think later.


	43. Chapter Forty-Two

• • •

 _"_ _Are you sure this is going to work?"_ Ankoku-Tatsu questioned, her voice echoing skeptically throughout my mind.

I laughed, my eyes closing from the excitement and a smile stretching across my lips. "Of course this is going to work! I'm surprised that I didn't think of this soon enough!"

I didn't understand why Anko was so doubtful about this plan. After all, I thought that it would go off without a hitch. Shinigami looked the same, for the most part, so who were they to accuse people of being a 'Ryoka'?

Of course I looked a bit different from the other Shinigami, but I was still a Shinigami no less. I even had a Zanpakuto. They wouldn't be able to accuse me of not being a Shinigami.

 _"_ _They might know your description."_ My Zanpakuto spirit warned, " _News of the Ryoka has probably spread quickly. It's been several hours after you all have broken in, after all."_

"That's why I've put my hair up!" I answered, running my fingers through my thick ponytail. "It's more difficult to see the red highlights when I have my hair up like this. And with my bangs pinned back like this, I can even use the black to cover up some of the red."

I grinned at my reflection in one of the windows on a nearby building. I was somewhere in the Ninth Division now; it'd taken me that long to come up with a plan.

I decided to head to the Thirteenth Division first. Then, I'd be able to see if Rukia was in a cell there. If she wasn't, then I'd probably head back to the Sixth Division. And if she wasn't there, then I'd have to beat her location out of some Shinigami. Well, that's if I hadn't gotten the information out of someone by then.

"Besides, no one really knows me here. If I run into anyone, then I'll just run with it." I whispered, smoothing out the front of my Shihakusho.

Now was when I really wished that I had opted to wear the hakama pants that were standard for the uniform. Nobody really opted to not wear them; maybe only a handful of individuals. Even so, I'm sure not too many of them chose to wear thigh high striped stockings…

"Hey, you! What are you doing all by yourself?!"

I cursed lightly under my breath, wincing a bit as I studied reflection in the window for another second before I turned around. "Excuse me?"

"I asked who you are and what are you doing out here by yourself?" The guy restated his question, his hand resting on his Zanpakuto's hilt at his side. I eyed his Zanpakuto, trying to read the reiatsu coming from it; it wasn't much. If anything, I'd think that this man was a lower ranking seat.

He wore the traditional sleeveless Shihakusho of the Ninth Division. I only knew it was traditional because I had once questioned the Fukutaicho of this division: Hisagi Shuhei. I only knew him from my connection with Yachiru and the Shinigami Women's Association. And by being a member of the Association, I got to know Matsumoto Rangiku. If you know Matsumoto-Fukutaicho, then you know almost all of the Fukutaicho's.

"Well?" The Shinigami in front of me questioned, eyebrows furrowing at my lack of response.

I bit my lip, adverting my eyes from him. "I'm sorry. I just got a bit lost and I was trying to find my way back to my Division. But, there's just so much chaos going on, I don't know where to go."

"Which Division do you belong to?" He asked, dark brown eyes scrutinizing my Shihakusho.

"Thirteenth Division," I answered, raising my eyes so blue met dark brown. Tugging at a wisp of black hair that wouldn't pin back, I continued. "News doesn't travel very fast around the Thirteenth Division because Ukitake-Taicho is usually under the weather. So I went out to see what all the ruckus was about, but I ended up getting lost. I blame it on my recent graduation and wanting to impress the other members of my Division."

The Shinigami seemed to relax at my response. The tension drained from his shoulders and he removed his hand from his Zanpakuto.

"I'm sorry for causing you any trouble." I hastily replied, putting my hands on my knees as I bowed a bit at the waist. The key to getting out of this successfully was with good manners and a bit of charm.

Laughing, the Shinigami ran a hand through his golden brown locks. "You're no trouble at all. I just assumed you were a Ryoka at first because you were all by yourself."

"Ryoka?" I questioned, making sure to furrow my eyebrows to appear confused.

"Yes, Ryoka." He nodded. "They're the intruders that have broken in recently. News of that has traveled to your Division at least, right?"

"Oh, was that the bright flash of light in the sky that occurred earlier?"

"Yeah," The Ninth Division Shinigami laughed. "That was them."

I nodded, pursing my lips a bit. "So that's why everyone is running around like crazy. Especially in the Eleventh Division. When I passed through there everyone tried to attack me!"

"Eleventh Division members are like that." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter if you're a friend or foe, they'll fight you no matter what. I'm surprised that you were able to escape from them."

Sheepishly laughing, I brought my hand up to rub the back of my head. "I guess you can say that running away is my specialty."

"Why didn't you stop in the Tenth Division to ask what was going on? I mean, you could have stopped at many of the other Divisions."

"Oh, um…" I hedged, biting my lip. "I wouldn't chance stopping by the Twelfth Division; I wouldn't want to be drafted for crazy experiments. I just ran as fast as I could through the Eleventh; nobody even tried to help me there, they just tried to fight me. I think I somehow bypassed the Tenth Division… I didn't find the Taicho or Fukutaicho's office, not that I'd get the guts to bother either one of them anyway…"

"That makes perfect sense." The Shinigami smiled down at me, resting a hand on my shoulder. "That information is so accurate I know you can't possibly be a Ryoka!"

I faked a surprised look. "You still thought that I was a Ryoka?"

"Well, as I said… You were by yourself and you do look a bit suspicious…" He hedged, hastily removing his hand from my shoulder and rubbing the back of his head. "Anyways, I am Ito Hansuke; Seventh Seat of the Ninth Division!" [Ito = That Wisteria, Hansuke = Helpful Friend]

"Kokawa Junko, new member of the Thirteenth Division." I hesitantly responded; was it safe to divulge my real name?

"Now, Kokawa-San, would you like me to help you back to your Division?" Hansuke asked, grinning down at me.

I softly exhaled, smiling up at the taller male. Actually, he was around Ichigo's height, so I was used to looking up that much. "Thank you so much! You only need to point me back on the correct path. I lost it when I frantically ran about in the Eleventh Division…"

"Alright, follow me!"

I giggled, matching his strides. "Thanks again. I'm honored that a Seventh Seat would help a non-seated member."

"It's no big deal," Hansuke sheepishly smiled, "You looked so lost and confused, this is the least that I can do. Especially when I wrongfully accused you as a Ryoka."

"It's quite alright." I replied, "But, do you guys in the Ninth know anything about the Ryoka? I haven't heard anything other than they're strong since I began looking for information worthy enough of reporting to my Division."

"Actually, we've heard that the Ryoka are humans!"

Score! I'd found someone that would hopefully answer all of my questions!

Take that, Anko!

 _"_ _Stay on your toes,"_ My Zanpakuto spirit warned, _"_ _You aren't safe yet."_

"Humans..?!" I gasped, widening my eyes as I looked up at the Ninth Division Seventh Seat in horror. "Humans actually made it to the Soul Society?!"

"I know, it's very shocking." Hansuke nodded. "We're assuming that there are five of them, considering that when they entered the Seireitei and the light appeared, it shot out in five different directions."

"That makes sense." I nodded.

Okay, so they didn't know our true number. There were six of us total, plus Yoruichi as a cat. So I'm guessing that'd make seven.

"We think the strongest one has obtained Shinigami powers." Hansuke continued.

"A human with Shinigami powers?"

"As unlikely as that sounds, yes." He nodded as his eyebrows furrowed a bit in concentration. "He has bright orange hair and carries a Zanpakuto close to his own height. We just received a Jigokucho not too long ago that reported the orange haired Ryoka managed to take down Madarame Ikkaku; the Third Seat of the Eleventh Division."

The gasp that left my lips wasn't purposeful.

"And not too long ago, we felt Abarai-Fukutaicho's reiatsu increase. It felt like he was fighting against the Ryoka. Nothing about that has been confirmed yet, so we can't assume much."

"I made a good decision to come to the Ninth Division." I giggled, "You guys must be the center of knowledge; Seireitei Communications is from here too, right?"

"Yes," Hansuke nodded, "But with the recent Ryoka invasion we've had to focus on trying to find the Ryoka."

"Do you know what the Ryoka are after?" I questioned.

Hansuke hesitated. "There have been rumors, but nothing officially has been announced."

"Oh," I sighed, "Well, what are some of the rumors?"

"The usual," He shrugged. "World domination, wanting to take over the Shinigami to use them to influence the World of the Living, to overthrow the Sotaicho and rule in his place… to save the criminal Kuchiki Rukia…"

My eyes bugged out at that last response. "To save a criminal? What for?"

"Kuchiki Rukia-San is a member of the noble Kuchiki family. Some think that they might have paid for some people to rescue her, even if she is adopted into the family. Others think it's because of her crime; some question if she should really die. But, we don't really know for certain either way." Hansuke sighed. It seemed like the lack of official information bothered the Seventh Seat.

Slowly nodding my head, I hummed a bit. "Well, that does make a bit of sense. Kuchiki Rukia-San is a member of my Division, if I recall correctly. I never really got the chance to see much of her; she wasn't around lately. The next thing I know, she's being executed."

"Kuchiki-San's execution date keeps on pressing forward; they've already moved the date up a couple of times." Hansuke noted, "Because of such, they've already taken her to the Senzaikyu. That just shows that it's not much longer until she's executed."

My eyebrows furrowed. "The Senzaikyu?"

"Oh, that's right. You're new so you don't know much about the old customs. Usually, that building isn't used that often. The Senzaikyu is the tall white tower in the center of the Seireitei. I'm sure you've seen it?"

"Yes, now that you mention it, I remember seeing a tall white tower." I muttered, my eyebrows furrowing even more. "You said it isn't used often. Why is that?"

"The Senzaikyu is, as the name indicates, the place criminals are kept to repent their sins. As such, it's also referred to as the Shrine of Penitence. A prisoner is kept their until their execution date; when it's time, they are escorted to Sokyoku Hill where the execution takes place." He recited, sounding like he was reading from a textbook.

"Poor Kuchiki-San," I sadly muttered, looking down at my zori clad feet. "To be isolated for so long before brought to her death…"

"I understand. However, you have to remember that Kuchiki-San broke the law." Hansuke sternly said. "Although we frown upon the taking of her life, it is what's best. Occasionally some must perish to show others that the law is still important."

"…I see…" I murmured, feeling my gaze harden into a glare as I continued to look down at the path that I was walking.

This jerk thought that Rukia deserved death?! What was he thinking? Obviously he was brainwashed or something. Who cares about the laws? Rukia did what she had to do; if she hadn't given her Shinigami powers to Ichigo then all of them would have died.

"Here we go." Hansuke spoke up. "This is the path that will take you back to your Division. Just stick to it and you'll be home in no time. Although, I do advise that you take caution when passing the Eleventh Division; they're probably still worked up."

"Thank you so much!" I smiled up at him, bowing at the waist once more. "I'll remember this kind act that you've shown me. I'll try and make it up to you one day, Ito Hansuke."

The golden haired Shinigami sheepishly smiled. "It's no problem. Maybe later, after all this mess is over, we can go get a drink together?"

"I'll keep that suggestion in mind." I smiled, inwardly rolling my eyes.

Was that all Shinigami here thought about? Drinking?!

Waving to Hansuke, I began walking down the path. There was a couple of other Shinigami walking on this path as well, so I was on edge. As soon as I could I needed to get off of this road. It was much too populated; I'd be found for sure in no time.

 _"_ _The Senzaikyu?"_ Ankoku-Tatsu questioned, _"_ _At least you got some information out of him. I didn't know you were that good of an actress. And you even managed to get a date out of it. How wonderful!"_

"Shut it, Anko." I hissed, glaring at the landscape in front of me. "It's not a date; even if it was, I wouldn't go anyway. He was just some random Shinigami. All of them are too alcohol obsessed."

 _"_ _That's true,"_ Anko responded. _"_ _But now we know where Rukia's at, if that Shinigami was telling the truth. I think he was though, his reiatsu didn't fluctuate like it usually does when people lie."_

"Was my reiatsu fluctuating the whole time?" I softly questioned, feeling a bit of worry settle in the pit of my stomach. Was he able to figure out that I was lying and tell me wrong information?

Ankoku-Tatsu's confidence soothed my worries. _"_ _Your reiatsu was steady; that's why I said that I didn't know you were that great of an actress. Now, I think you need to find a way off of this road and start heading towards the tall white tower."_

"Yeah, let's go." I whispered, my hands clenched into fists as I jumped off of the main roads and took to the rooftops. I was close to the outskirts of the Ninth Division… I didn't have that much further to travel before I'd make it to the center of the Seireitei.

A sudden burst of reiatsu nearby caught me by surprise. Skidding to a halt, my hand found its way to my Zanpakuto's hilt. I could feel my muscles tightening, setting me on edge.

My bright blue eyes quickly scanned my surroundings.

I didn't see anything to exceptional. There were plenty of old storage buildings that I'm guessing the Ninth Division didn't use anymore. They looked abandoned but probably full of junk.

That reiatsu felt strangely familiar… I knew I'd sensed it somewhere before.

But where?

It was growing closer… I could feel it.

Quickly withdrawing Ankoku-Tatsu from her sheath, I eyebrows furrowed at the resounding sound of metal clashing against metal. I'd barely blocked the blade that was aimed at my back.

Cutting my eyes upwards I took in the tall, lean Shinigami that had attacked me.

Short dark black hair and sharp deep gray eyes. Three scars ran down the right side of his face; starting a bit above his right eye and trailing down the rest of the right side of his face. The familiar sixty-nine tattooed on his left cheek, as well as a gray colored stripe running across his left cheek above the number and continuing across the bridge of his nose.

The number nine printed on the Fukutaicho badge that was tightly tied around his bare arm.

Of course I knew this reiatsu.

"Hisagi-Fukutaicho…"


	44. Chapter Forty-Three

• • •

Cutting my eyes upwards I took in the tall, lean Shinigami that had attacked me.

Short dark black hair and sharp deep gray eyes. Three scars ran down the right side of his face; starting a bit above his right eye and trailing down the rest of the right side of his face. The familiar sixty-nine tattooed on his left cheek, as well as a gray colored stripe running across his left cheek above the number and continuing across the bridge of his nose.

The number nine printed on the Fukutaicho badge that was tightly tied around his bare arm.

Of course I knew this reiatsu.

"Hisagi-Fukutaicho…"

"Kokawa Junko," Hisagi evenly said, "Ryoka."

My lips twitched up into a smirk. "You could say that. What gave me away?"

"All Taicho's and Fukutaicho's were warned that you would probably be among the Ryoka. You had disappeared in the World of the Living. It was clear that you'd align yourself with the humans." Hisagi explained, his eyes narrowing a bit as he looked down at me. Skillfully, he pushed against my sword, sending me flying back a bit as he stood his ground.

Grinning up at him, I nodded. "Missing? I don't think I ever went missing. Throughout my time in the World of the Living, I recall sending in reports before the assigned deadlines."

"Falsified reports," Hisagi coolly challenged.

"Reports nonetheless." I sighed, removing one of my hands from Ankoku-Tatsu's hilt as I carelessly waved in the air. "I did find Kuchiki Rukia, but she was not in the proper shape to return. What else was I expected to do?"

"Report that you had found her!" Hisagi-Fukutaicho ordered, sinking down a bit as he readied his Zanpakuto. "That was the mission that you, Kokawa Junko, had been assigned: Find Kuchiki Rukia and bring her back to the Soul Society as soon as possible."

"Friendship outranks orders." I evenly said, feeling my eyebrows narrow. "Rukia asked for my help. Who am I to refuse? She's helped me out plenty of times; I thought that it was time that I returned the favor."

"Look how that turned out." The Fukutaicho answered, "Kuchiki is in jail, waiting to be executed. The other Ryoka are ordered to be hunt down. It was reckless of you to even come and attempt a rescue."

"It might have been reckless, but we'll succeed in the end."

"We'll see about that." Hisagi challenged, slightly angling his body towards me in an offensive maneuver.

My left hand gripped my Zanpakuto's hilt tighter, my right hand grabbing onto the hilt once more. I was thankful for the time that I had spent training with Ankoku-Tatsu; I could easily read his movements.

Hisagi charged, running towards me at full speed. I swiftly angled my Zanpakuto and charged as well. Metal clanged against metal once more, sparks flying.

I narrowed my eyes in concentration as I pushed against his sword, testing how strong of a grip he had. Hisagi-Fukutaicho slid back a few inches, his own eyes narrowing as well.

As quick as I could, I took the offensive. Again and again, I began attacking. Hisagi was forced to defend, bringing his sword up to block my countless swings.

One of my swings connected, leaving a shallow cut across his left arm.

Hisagi blocked my next swing, forcibly shoving me back.

"Your swordsmanship has improved," Hisagi noted, lightly panting.

"Heh," I scoffed, taking in deep gasps of air to try and regain my breath. "It's not much, but I did get a bit better at handling my sealed Zanpakuto…"

"I've never sparred against you before, but I've heard people talk about how bad you were with your sealed Zanpakuto… I figured that I'd end this quickly by using that against you, but…"

"I've gotten too good for you to just end it by using a sealed Zanpakuto." I finished for him, cheekily grinning. "I'm warning you now, Hisagi-Fukutaicho. Release your Zanpakuto. Especially if you want to survive."

Hisagi's eyes narrowed. "You sound confident."

"I am." I answered, "I believe in my Zanpakuto. That's why I'm concerned for you; I know that Ankoku-Tatsu's abilities can easily take someone down if they haven't already released their own Zanpakuto."

"Ankoku-Tatsu… Is that your Zanpakuto spirit?"

"Yes." I nodded, focusing on my reiatsu as I made it rise to the highest level I could with the seal on my lower back still in place. "And I'll show you her powers. Get ready, Hisagi-Fukutaicho."

The dark haired Shinigami braced himself against my reiatsu, wincing a bit at the amount that I was releasing. I smirked when his eyes widened; even though I hadn't released her yet, the shadows were beginning to swirl around me.

"Sorera no ue ni kagekyasuto, Ankoku-Tatsu!" I commanded, flicking my wrist a bit so that the light glistened off of the blade one last time as the shadows slowly began crawling and wrapping around the blade. I couldn't fight the smile off of my face when I saw how wide Hisagi-Fukutaicho's eyes were.

"Shadows…" He murmured, his eyes narrowing to slits once more. I was sure that he was trying to think of a plan; I could almost see the gears whirling behind his dark gray eyes.

My icy blue eyes narrowed as well, intently watching the scarred Fukutaicho for any signs of attack. "Of course; Ankoku-Tatsu roughly translates to 'Shadow Dragon'."

Hisagi-Fukutaicho's eyes widened once more when the shadows began lifting from the ground, winding their way around me and gracefully circling around my arms. Removing my left hand from the hilt of my Zanpakuto, I let him watch the shadows twirl around my arm.

"You should never underestimate the shadows, Hisagi-Fukutaicho." I lightly warned, smirking as the shadows wound themselves around my fingers a couple of times before forming a small sphere in my palm.

The scarred Fukutaicho charged, not wanting to wait to see what my attack could do; he wanted to take me down quickly. However, I didn't even have to voice a command as the shadows shot out from my palm, interweaving and forming a net that wrapped around his Zanpakuto. Dodging his attack, I wrapped my fingers around the main shadow, tugging with all my might and slinging Hisagi's Zanpakuto from his unsuspecting hands.

With a resounding clanking noise, Hisagi's sword skid across the tiled ground. His eyes widened at the prospect of finding himself without his Zanpakuto this early on in the fight. Right hand clenching into a fist, the Fukutaicho watched as the shadows around his discarded sword began to dissolve like smoke, gathering once more around me.

"You're not taking me seriously, Hisagi-Fukutaicho." I half pouted, my left hand resting on the hilt of my Zanpakuto once more. "I warned you that Ankoku-Tatsu was powerful. Too many people underestimate shadows."

Hisagi's eyes narrowed, jumping back a few feet to increase the distance between us. His eyes darted to his Zanpakuto, which was a few feet away from me. I was about to rush forwards and attack while I saw that he was distracted, but the Fukutaicho suddenly raised his two hands. I didn't really recognize the triangle symbol that he made with his hands, but I could feel the increase in his reiatsu; I could tell that he was about to cast a Kido spell, but I had no clue which one. So instead of charging, I raised my guard and watched him closely.

"Bakudo #62! Hyapporankan!" {Way of Binding #62: Hundred Steps Fence}

I felt my eyes widen at the name of the Kido.

Bakudo?

Weren't those normally binding spells?

Not to mention that he just surpassed all the incantations on a level sixty-two Kido spell! No wonder he was a Fukutaicho…

Hisagi pulled his two hands apart, reiatsu sparking to life and taking on a solid blue/white glowing color. As he pulled his hands further apart, the light kept on stretching, forming a long rod. Pulling his arm back, he literally threw it at me; it looked much more menacing flying through the air and headed straight towards me.

Lightly cursing, I felt my eyes narrow when the single rod split. I couldn't even count how many had formed with them sailing at me that fast through the air. From the name of the spell, I could only guess that there were now around one hundred of those rods flying towards me.

Focusing my reiatsu to my feet, I flashed stepped out of the way of the first couple of rods. Angling my head so that I could look behind me, I felt my eyes widen once I saw that those rods had already fallen had embedded themselves in the tiled ground, cracking the tile in the process. They had to have had a lot of force behind it. I'd be in bad shape if I got hit with one of those…

Maybe the spell could read my mind; those rods were gaining on me even with my Shunpo. One whizzed past my leg, managing to rip my sock and leave a pretty long gash across my thigh. Hissing, I tried to keep my balance as I continued to Shunpo, but it really hurt to put too much pressure on the wound.

This area wasn't too big, so I was soon caught by the walls surrounding us with nowhere else to dodge. The final rods were flying towards me now, making it much more difficult to dodge them when my back was pressed against a wall. The last rod flew towards me, managing to pin the material of my right Shihakusho sleeve to the wall. I managed to rip my sleeve, some of the material still pinned to the wall. My Shihakusho sleeve was now rather ragged, barely meeting the crook in my elbow.

Wincing a bit, I pulled myself up and stood on top of two of the rods that were embedded into the wall; there were a few more at random spots in the wall, and countless others pinned to the Earth.

My ears twitched when I heard movement from my far right side. I spun as quickly as I could from my position on top of the still glowing rod, pointing my left index finger towards Hisagi's approaching body.

"Hado #4! Byakurai!" {Way of Destruction #4: Pale Lightning}

Reiatsu gathered at the tip of my index finger, bright blue sparks dancing around before a huge bolt of lightning erupted. Still in the air, Hisagi had to bring his recently reacquired Zanpakuto up to try and block the huge bolt of lightning. I didn't expect such a lower level Kido to have any effect on him; my reason for casting it was to throw him off target. Because Hisagi brought his Zanpakuto up to deflect the Kido, he was pushed back several feet in midair and roughly landed on the tiled ground.

"Kido against Kido, huh?" Hisagi-Fukutaicho questioned, rising up from his kneeled position he had landed in.

"Just to keep you on your toes," I teased, lightly chuckling only to wince once my hand brushed against the large gash on my thigh. These socks were ruined…

Hisagi's eyes trailed upwards, noting the low hanging position of the sun in the sky. "This is your forte, correct? The setting sun casts the most shadows."

"Light from the moon casts shadows as well." I answered, shadows once more twirling around me. I wanted to get as many of them under my control now as I could; Hisagi-Fukutaicho was correct about this being the best time for my Zanpakuto. However, not too many knew that shadows can also rise from the surrounding darkness under a nighttime sky.

Hisagi's eyes narrowed, only to close as he released a pent up sigh. "Then I guess I'd better get this over with…"

Opening my mouth to question what he had in mind, I was cut off when Hisagi raised his Zanpakuto and looked deep in thought. Was he finally going to release it? I'd never heard anything about his Zanpakuto, other than the fact that he rarely released it. I was under the impression that he and the Zanpakuto spirit didn't get along; which I didn't really understand because a Zanpakuto was supposed to be a part of yourself.

"Kare… Kazeshini." Hisagi-Fukutaicho uttered, finally releasing his Zanpakuto into its Shikai. {Reap, Wind Death}

As soon as those words left his lips, the wind began kicking up. The hair that had fallen from my pinned back ponytail flew in my face, blocking my vision. Scoffing, I raised my hand to hold my hair in place as my eyes scanned the area for any sign of the Fukutaicho.

A gasp left my lips as my icy eyes landed on Hisagi's released Zanpakuto. There was a blade in each hand, although they weren't swords. I was faintly reminded of a scythe. Only, on one side of each weapon the blade was inverted. It kind of reminded me of a pinwheel, only this looked a million times more deadly. These blades were connected to a spiked rod, and both rods appeared to be connected together by a long chain.

"You've finally released your Zanpakuto… It's nothing like I pictured it would be," I observed, steading my hands on the hilt of Ankoku-Tatsu just in case Hisagi were to attack. "I would have never guessed that you wouldn't want to release such a beautiful blade."

"Beautiful? How can you call it beautiful?" Hisagi-Fukutaicho scoffed, his deep gray eyes narrowing in what could only be called disgust. "Look at its shape. Doesn't it look like something that reaps lives?"

"That may be so, but it can still be beautiful." I answered, shaking my head as my eyes trailed across the blades once more. "No Shinigami should be disgusted by their own Zanpakuto. After all, Zanpakuto are a part of us."

The Fukutaicho merely shook his head, removing his right hand from the rod of the blade in his right hand and grabbing the chain instead. "Kazeshini is different."

His words fell upon deaf ears; I was in a trance as I watched him skillfully swing the blade by the chain. It was a like a giant fan, just waiting to slice something. Maybe that's what Hisagi meant when he said that he doesn't like the shape of the Zanpakuto. With its shape, it seems as if it flies like the wind itself.

Makes sense, when you think about the Zanpakuto's name:

Kazeshini.

Wind Death.

Hisagi swung his Zanpakuto cleanly though the air, aiming it directly at me. I snapped out of my trance when I saw the blade headed in my direction and heard the wind whistling as the blade sliced the air itself. I narrowly missed the Zanpakuto, having to duck out of the way as it hit the wall instead of my neck.

In a flash, I appeared before Hisagi; one of his blades was at the wall where I had previously been, so he was only left with one. I figured that would be the best time to strike.

Hisagi blocked my incoming Zanpakuto with his own, metal clashing against metal. I didn't even really get the time to appreciate the artistic effect of black against black; it wasn't often that a Zanpakuto's release turned the blade a different color. One of Hisagi's hands darted towards the chain of the scythe, pulling it. I heard the slight whistling of the wind, eyes widening.

"Gah..!" I cried, wincing as his other blade flew forward and collided with my shoulder. I could feel the blood freely flowing down my arm, warm against my cool skin. The pain was searing, my vision darkened for a few seconds before I shook my head and knocked the blade away from him once more.

As I listened to the metal slid across the tiled ground, I manipulated the shadows to constrict around the chain of the Zanpakuto. The long, dark red ribbon attached to the hilt of Ankoku-Tatsu coiled around my arm as my eyes began glowing red as well. This was 'Sousa,' my true shadow manipulation technique.

Shadows wrapped out the chain of Hisagi's Zanpakuto, cracking the tiles and embedding into the Earth while I fought for control over his real shadow. The Fukutaicho began to try and struggle once he realized that his movement was restricted; but by then it was already too late.

I had control over his shadow.

Hisagi's eyes widened as my reiatsu spiked; at the same time, his arm moved of his own accord and threw his Zanpakuto in the opposite direction. My shadows continued to crawl up Kazeshini's chain, wrapping themselves around the second blade and pining it to the ground as well.

While Hisagi was immobilized, I took the opportunity and slashed him. A deep gash was left diagonally across his chest; beginning at his left shoulder and traveling across his chest before ending above his right hip bone. The Fukutaicho gasped as blood leaked from his wound.

Deep gray eyes met icy blue, before dark purple flower petals began falling from the sky. My blue eyes were tainted a very deep purple for a few seconds, as the Bakudo known as Hakufuku {White Crawl} was cast. Hisagi's eyes widened even more, his pupils dilating before they lost all their light. The petals stopped falling once he lost consciousness, and I released my hold on his shadow. Lifelessly, Hisagi-Fukutaicho's body fell to the ground in a heap. As soon as my shadows left his Zanpakuto, it sealed itself back into its regular katana shape.

"I'm sorry, Hisagi-Fukutaicho." I apologized, kneeling next to his body as I gently closed his eyes. "You put up quite a fight; I'm really gonna have to spare a few hours to heal these wounds up before I can get to Rukia…"

Shakily standing up, I winced as the motion aggravated the gash across my upper thigh. Blood was still pouring from the wound, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the blood oozing from my shoulder.

"Again, I'm sorry, Fukutaicho." I said, bowing at the waist at his fallen form. "I hope we'll be able to meet again under better terms."


	45. Chapter Forty-Four

• • •

"Hisagi-Fukutaicho really wasn't going easy on me, was he?" I questioned out loud, wincing as I nestled myself on top of a large boxed in crate.

Not too long ago I had run from the scene of the battle, knowing that countless Shinigami would probably show up soon. After all, I'm sure they had sensed Hisagi-Fukutaicho's reiatsu flare throughout the fight, and mine as well. Because of that, they'd probably see what was going on and find that section of the Ninth Division battle torn.

It probably wasn't a great idea for me to stay in Ninth Division, but I don't think that I would have been able to make it too far away. Besides, hopefully, they'd think that I'd want to get as far away from here as possible. So it makes since that they wouldn't search the Ninth too closely.

 _"_ _What did you expect?"_ Ankoku-Tatsu questioned, echoing voice devoid of emotion. _"_ _He was a Fukutaicho. It was reckless to go against him by yourself. He's probably the strongest Fukutaicho of them all; or did that fact slip your mind?!"_

"Well, sorry." I sang, rolling my eyes. "What did you expect me to do? Back down from the fight? Run with my tail between my legs?"

Anko's sigh weighed heavily in my mind. _"_ _No, you're right. I guess I'm just worried that you got so cut up."_

"There's not much to worry about; I'm sure you'll be able to fix me in no time," I laughed, smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

 _"_ _You think I want to heal you every time you come back cut up?"_

"Um, yeah?" I hedged, feeling my eyebrows furrow. "I mean, would you really just leave me bleeding everywhere?"

 _"…_ _No,"_ The Zanpakuto spirit sighed. _"_ _I was just trying to make a point."_

I could almost picture the sweat-drop on the back of my head. "Well, I don't get your point."

 _"_ _I can tell."_

An awkward silence ensued, causing me to sigh. As I sighed, I plucked the hairpins from my hair and let the rest of my bangs fall down and frame my face. I didn't think it was a good idea to let my ponytail down. I didn't want my hair getting into my shoulder wound.

 _"_ _I've managed to slow the bleeding down, but it'll take a bit longer before I can get it to stop completely…"_ Ankoku-Tatsu informed.

"I know I don't tell you this often enough, but thank you." I whispered, staring off into the distance as I twisted my fingers in my ponytail and played with the strands of hair. My eyes closed as I exhaled, "Thank you, for everything. I don't know what I'd do without you, Anko."

 _"_ _You'd be in big trouble if I weren't around."_ The Zanpakuto spirit laughed, _"_ _Without me you'd probably be a goner."_

"Don't I know it," I chuckled.

"Don't you know what?"

I yelped, spinning around and facing the doorway to the storage shed as my hand flew to my Zanpakuto's hilt.

"M-Matsumoto-Fukutaicho..?" I questioned, eyes widening when they landed on the Fukutaicho of the Tenth Division.

Tenth was close to Ninth, so it would make sense that they'd send her over anyone else… But would I be able to survive a fight against another Fukutaicho? Especially since my sudden jump and movement to grab my Zanpakuto had reopened my wounds.

"Kokawa Junko! What have I told you about sounding so formal?!" The busty strawberry blonde woman asked, placing her left hand on her hip as she glared at me. Her right hand was holding a small box.

"S-Sorry, Rangiku!" I stiffened, eyes widening as soon as she glared at me. However, I felt my muscles relax when the stern look faded from her face and a lopsided smile replaced it.

Rangiku made her way over to me, a frown tugging at her lips. "Shuhei really did a number on you, didn't he?"

"Eh, just a bit." I sheepishly laughed while scratching my cheek. "But I eventually took him down. And if you don't mind me asking, why are you here, Rangiku? Aren't you a Fukutaicho? You should be arresting me, not talking to me."

"I'm not here as a Fukutaicho," The strawberry blonde sighed. "I'm here to check on you. I've been searching for any sign of you for hours…"

"I guess I wasn't careful enough if you managed to find me."

"I caught a bit of what I thought was your reiatsu, but it wasn't strong enough for anyone else to detect." Rangiku explained, sliding the door shut behind her as she fully walked into the storage shed.

Sighing in relief, I plopped myself down onto one of the crates. "That's good news."

Rangiku grew quiet after a few seconds, her finger tracing the edges of the small box as she stared at the ground.

"Is something wrong, Rangiku?" I asked, feeling my eyebrows furrow in confusion; I'd never seen the woman so quiet and reserved before. Normally she was jabbering away, avidly waving her hands about as she spoke.

"I can't but help thinking that it's my fault…" She sighed, "I mentioned that you were probably among the Ryoka during our Fukutaicho meeting. Shuhei was there… That's why he fought you right when he found you…"

"It's not your fault," I argued, cutting the woman off as I shook my head. "Even if you didn't say anything, I still would have been found out at some point. I might have been attacked by someone much worse that Hisagi-Fukutaicho. You never know." I explained, leaning back a bit and putting most of my weight on my uninjured arm. "I don't blame you; you probably did the right thing. I'm no longer allied with Soul Society. I'm here to save Rukia. That's it."

A soft sigh left her lips, "That's what I thought. I knew if they were here for Kuchiki you'd be with them."

"And you're probably not the only one to think so either." I said, bringing my left hand up to flick my hair out of my face. "I bet the Taicho's know that I'm one of the Ryoka by now, too. They knew I was still in the World of the Living somewhere. They didn't find me before they took Rukia back. We knew we were gonna have to face strong opponents, so I don't blame you for anything."

"…Thanks," Rangiku mumbled, before her head snapped up and she grinned at me. "At least let me tend to your wounds!"

"Won't you get in trouble for that?" I questioned, eyes wide as she skipped over to my side.

A feral grin spread across her face, causing me to blink in surprise. "They don't have to know that I helped. They don't even know that I'm here right now!"

"You sure about that? That Taicho of yours seems to know everything..!" I muttered, wincing as she began to remove my kosode from my injured shoulder.

"He really sliced you good…" Rangiku whistled.

Scoffing, I rolled my eyes. "No duh. His Zanpakuto is a sharp death trap when released..!"

"He released his Zanpakuto?!"

"Yeah," I answered, wincing once more when she gently tugged on my shitagi, removing it from my shoulder and prying it away from the wound. The entire left shoulder of the garment was stained crimson.

My eyes trailed over to the box that Rangiku opened, revealing medical supplies.

"Is Hisagi-Fukutaicho alright?" I hesitantly questioned.

Rangiku nodded, pulling the medical supplies from out of the box. "Yeah, he's alright now. Resting in Fourth."

I let out a sigh of relief, only to hiss as Rangiku proceeded to clean the large laceration on my shoulder. "That's good. I didn't want to hurt him too bad. I just needed to stop him and get away."

"Unohana-Taicho noticed," Rangiku said, grimacing a bit as the blood still continued to ooze from the wound. "His wound wasn't life threatening and there was evidence that Hakufuku was used to knock him out. If that was the case… he had to have been fighting against a Shinigami. The Ryoka are human, they can't possibly know Kido."

"Yeah," I nodded, tilting my head to the side to give her more room. I reached towards the box, pulling more stuff out. I flinched as I pulled my sock back from the wound on my upper thigh; I needed to clean and bandage it as well.

"You guys have caused a lot of trouble, you know that?" The Fukutaicho lightly chuckled, pressing the bandage to my wound before she pulled out the gauze to wrap around it. "Two of our Fukutaicho's have been struck down. Not to mention reports are coming in that the Eleventh Division has been almost completely wiped out…"

"Another Fukutaicho was injured? Who? Are there any reports on who they fought?" I rapidly questioned, my icy eyes meeting Rangiku's.

"Renji." She answered, not meeting my gaze. "He was promoted to Fukutaicho just after you left for the World of the Living. He was badly injured, and he hasn't regained consciousness yet."

"…Ichigo," I breathed, tearing my gaze away from Rangiku as I took to wrapping the gauze tightly around the bandage. "He'd be the only one who could take Renji down."

"Whoever it is, they'd better be careful. All of you." The strawberry blonde warned, tying the gaze around my shoulder in place before she pulled my shitagi and kosode back up. "With two of our Fukutaicho's down, security is going to tighten. I'm sure they'll begin sending the Taicho's out next."

"Yes, I know they would." I nodded, "If we've already managed to take down two Fukutaicho's, probably the strongest ones, it'd only make sense that the Taicho's would be ordered to hunt us down. They're the next step above the Fukutaicho."

Rangiku took her time straightening the supplies left in the first-aid kit, not meeting my questioning gaze. She was silent again; I knew this couldn't be good.

"Rangiku, thank you." I said, slightly smiling up at her as I leaned down to untie my zori straps. I had to get these socks off; with one shredded it wouldn't do any good to walk around in them. "But I think you should go before they find out where you've been. I don't want to get you in any trouble."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Rangiku sighed, bringing up a hand to run it through her loosely curled locks.

"Do you think you could do something else for me?" I asked, an idea running through my mind as my eyes collided with the white bandana wrapped around my left arm. Surprisingly it was still stark white; none of my blood had seeped into it.

Rangiku blinked, shrugging her shoulders. "Sure, I don't see why not."

"Can you give this to Renji?" I asked, untying the bandana and unwinding it from my upper limb. "It was his originally… But after all that's happened I don't think he'd be too keen on the idea of us still being friends. Can you tell him sorry?"

"Sure," The Fukutaicho assured, her eyes softening as she reached and grabbed the white bandana and held it between her hands. "I'll leave it with his robes, and I'll be sure to write a note if he's still unconscious."

"Thanks," I sighed, craning my neck to the side to get it to pop. I felt too stiff and worn out.

"It's no problem." Rangiku smiled, placing her hand on my head and ruffling my hair. "Just stay safe, alright? I can't do anything if a Taicho finds you."

"I know," I nodded, rolling my eyes as I reached up and yanked the hair-tie out of my hair. My hair splayed across my shoulders as I ran my hands through it, working the knots out. "I'll try, but I'm not making any promises. You know me."

"I do, I do." Rangiku grinned, laughing at my dry sense of humor. "I'll try and see you again later, after this madness has quieted down."

"Alright, I'll see 'ya later!" I smiled, waving at Rangiku as she left the small storage shed. "And I'll try to stay out of trouble!"

As the door slid shut once more, I sighed and felt my shoulders slump. It was a pleasant surprise to have Rangiku visit and help, even if she was a Fukutaicho. I knew I could trust her; we'd been friends before I left for the World of the Living. She knew how Rukia was my best friend, practically family even. She knew I'd do anything for Rukia. I think Rangiku respected that.

I slid back against the wall, bringing my legs up to my chest. Resting my chin on my knees, my eyes roamed around the storage shed. This was boring, just waiting like this. But I know I've already lost too much blood to me moving about. I wouldn't make it very far before I'd get dizzy and pass out.

"I wonder how Ichigo and the others are doing…" I murmured.

 _"_ _I'm sure they're doing fine. I've sensed no major difference in their reiatsu; we can assume that they're okay."_ Ankoku-Tatsu reminded me. _"_ _But I was surprised when Matsumoto came to help you. Are you sure you can trust her? She is a Fukutaicho after all…"_

Yawning, I closed my eyes as I shifted a bit to get comfortable. "I have no reason to doubt her."

 _"_ _She's a Fukutaicho!"_

"But she's also a friend." I argued, opening my eyes briefly to glare at a nearby window. The moon was crescent shaped, illuminating the small storage shed. "We might not have been too close, but it was clear that she felt guilty for telling Hisagi-Fukutaicho about me. She had multiple chances to attack, but she never drew her Zanpakuto."

 _"_ _Right,"_ Anko scoffed. _"_ _And if people find you because she snitched, then don't come crying to me."_

"Rangiku won't snitch. She might gossip all the time, but she'll keep me being here a secret." I argued, rolling my eyes once more before I closed them. "I'm going to try and get some sleep. I need to rest awhile from losing so much blood."

 _"_ _Fine."_ My Zanpakuto spirit shrugged. _"_ _You're a heavy sleeper when you do sleep. I doubt even I could wake you if Shinigami came."_

"Goodnight, Ankoku-Tatsu."

• • •

"Where were you yesterday evening, Matsumoto?" The small, white haired Taicho of the Tenth Division questioned, his hands hidden in the sleeves of his kimono in front of him. His sea colored eyes narrowed at his Fukutaicho. "You're still not finished with your paperwork!"

Rangiku blinked, moving her arm from its previous position where it had been covering her eyes as she lounged on the couch in the center of the office. "Whatever do you mean, Taicho?"

A snow white eyebrow rose, conveying his amusement. It would have been amusement, if only Rangiku didn't do things like this on a daily basis. No, scratch that, on an hourly basis.

"Just finish your paperwork already." Hitsugaya Toshiro ordered, heaving a sigh as he removed his Zanpakuto and sat behind his desk. His deep turquoise orbs eyed the stack of papers that rose above his own head.

"But, Taicho!" The strawberry blonde whined, sitting up on the couch and pouting at her captain. "Is now really the time to be doing all this paperwork?"

"Yes!" Hitsugaya-Taicho answered, vein throbbing on his forehead as knuckles turned white because of his death grip on his pen.

A jigokucho flew into the room, landing on Rangiku's extended index finger.

"Sorry, Taicho, but I have a Fukutaicho meeting to attend! See you later~!"

With that, Rangiku hopped to her feet and literally skipped out of the office while happily humming a tune.

"MATSUMOTO!"

• • •

"Iyaaaaa!" The Fukutaicho of the Fifth Division screamed, her eyes wide and lifeless as she stared up at the body pinned to the wall.

Tears pooled in Hinamori Momo's brown eyes, which were widened in horror as she stared up at the body pinned to the wall before her. It wasn't just any body pinned to the wall, though: it was Aizen Sosuke, Hinamori-Fukutaicho's Taicho.

The Fifth Division Taicho was clearly deceased, immobilized to the wall by his own Zanpakuto through his chest. Blood was splattered all across the wall, much of it pulled downwards due to gravity. However, the splatters that surrounded his form gave the image of a flower.

"Aizen-Taicho! Aizen-Taicho!" Hinamori-Fukutaicho screamed, shakily stepping forwards towards the wall. "No! This isn't real! Aizen-Taicho!"

Aizen's eyes were dull, no trace of life shown. There was even a deep gash across his cheek that had been bleeding. Many other Fukutaicho's had come running once they heard Hinamori's screams. Kira-Fukutaicho, Iba-Fukutaicho, and Matsumoto-Fukutaicho stood behind her, staring up at the wall as well.

"What's goin' on? Who's screamin' so early in th' mornin'?"

Hinamori-Fukutaicho's eyes widened, her body turning rigid as she turned towards Ichimaru-Taicho. The Taicho walked towards the gathering of people, fake smile stretched full across his face with his eyes squinted shut as always.

"It was you!"

• • •

 _"_ _Jun! Junko! Kokawa Junko, wake up!"_

Groaning, I forced my eyes closer shut. Sunlight was streaming in through the window, but I didn't want to get up yet. I was still groggy and actually wanted to sleep some more. My entire body felt stiff; although, I bet that's what you'd expect when you slept on a crate and leaned up against a wall.

 _"_ _Junko! Up, now! I can sense Shinigami coming towards us!"_

Cracking my eyes open, I winced at the bright light coming in through the window. The warmth was nice on my face but I didn't appreciate it shining in my eyes.

"How many?" I slurred, rubbing my eyes and lightly stretching out my cramped muscles.

 _"_ _I can tell it's a group; maybe eight or nine of them."_ Ankoku-Tatsu replied, sounding pleased that I had actually woken up. _"_ _How are your wounds? Can you take them on or do you need to run?"_

I blinked, my right hand trailing over the wound on my right thigh before it moved to the huge wound on my shoulder. "They're still a bit tender, but they're closed. I can even feel them coming now, so it's probably too late to run; I'll have to face them."

Slinking over towards the window, I peered out. Shinigami were surrounding the storage shed, a few with their Zanpakuto drawn. It looked like a few were going to storm in, so I jumped on top of a large stack of boxes near the door.

Slamming the door open, they charged.

"Bakudo #4! Hainawa!" I exclaimed, focusing my reiatsu to the Kido spell. {Way of Binding #4: Crawling Rope!}

In my hands, the reiatsu began to glow a bright yellow color. It seemed highly unstable; it continuously crackled and sparks seemed to fly off of it. Once I released the spell, it shot out as a rope and circled around the three Shinigami that had charged into the building. Before they knew it, they were unconscious; I had flash stepped beside them and knocked them all out with individual blows to the back of the neck.

"Seven more," I muttered, feeling much more awake now that I had a nice jolt of adrenaline running through my veins. I could sense the Shinigami's reiatsu much easier now. Smirk tugging at my lips, I grinned. "Time for some fun."

 _"_ _You sound like you should be in Kenpachi's Division with that kind of attitude."_ Ankoku-Tatsu admonished as I used Shunpo and appeared in front of the enemy Shinigami of the Ninth Division.

A feral grin crossed my face as I charged at them, going at it with hand to hand combat; a specialty of mine. I felt much more at ease with Hakuda than I did wielding a sword, no offense to Ankoku-Tatsu. It's just…Urahara had trained me in this first, trying to up my physical stamina before he tried to turn me into a Shinigami.

 _"_ _Maybe you do belong in the Eleventh Division…"_ My Zanpakuto spirit sighed, mentally shaking her head as she surveyed the damage that I had done.

Without once unsheathing my sword, I had single handily taken down the remaining seven Shinigami. I was proud of myself because I didn't re-open any of my wounds. In fact, five nearby Shinigami heard the scuffle and ran over but they were taken down just as quickly.

"Nah," I shook my head, dusting my hands off before I placed them on my hips with a triumphant grin. "The Thirteenth Division will always be my home. That is, as long as Ukitake-Taicho will have me."

Running my hands through my hair, I sighed. It was getting tangled, which was something that I didn't like. Needless to say, I instantly bent over and tied my hair up once more.

"There, now we're ready! Towards the Senzaikyu!" I announced, my face set in determination. "Now, just where is it?"

The tall white tower, that's what I was looking for. Supposedly it was in the center of the Seireitei. So all I needed to do was head for the center.

Gasping, I halted midstride. I fumbled from my position on a rooftop, my eyes wide as I stared around.

 _"_ _What is it, Jun?"_ My Zanpakuto spirit asked, sensing my unease.

"Chad's reiatsu!" I exclaimed, closing my eyes to try and sense it. "It disappeared! He's in trouble!"


	46. Chapter Forty-Five

• • •

Gasping, I halted midstride. I fumbled from my position on a rooftop, my eyes wide as I stared around.

 _"_ _What is it, Jun?"_ My Zanpakuto spirit asked, sensing my unease.

"Chad's reiatsu!" I exclaimed, closing my eyes to try and sense it. "It disappeared! He's in trouble!"

 _"_ _If they managed to take Chad down… they have to be at least a Fukutaicho or greater!"_ Ankoku-Tatsu spoke in disbelief.

Nodding, I closed my eyes as I focused closer on his reiatsu's frequency. Each person's was a bit different, that's how you managed to track people down.

"He's still alive..!" I breathed out, feeling as if a weight had been taken off of my shoulders. "His reiatsu is faint, but it's still there. Whoever he was up against, they didn't kill him. He's just severely wounded."

Placing my hand on my Zanpakuto's hilt, my eyes narrowed in the direction of the reiatsu. He was nearby… If my sensing skills weren't too rusty, I'd say he was in the outskirts of Ninth or somewhere in the Eighth.

Either way, I was probably the closest to him. I still had time. I could catch up to them and hopefully save Chad.

Rukia was important, but I didn't plan on letting any of my friends lose their lives. Not on my watch.

"Sorry, Rukia, but it looks like you'll have to wait a bit longer."

• • •

"Kyoraku-Taicho!" Ise Nanao, the Fukutaicho of the Eighth, yelled as she ran down the steps from the second story building she had just been in. "It's an urgent message!"

Coming to a halt, Ise-Fukutaicho adjusted her glasses and the book that she kept tucked under her left arm as she gasped while attempting to regain her breath.

"It's not like you to be so agitated." Kyoraku Shunsui, the Taicho of the Eighth Division, casually said as he lazily crossed his arms. His gray eyes rose from the body of the fallen Ryoka, looking at his Fukutaicho instead. "By the way, did a kid from the Dark Brigade come? What was that about?"

"Aizen-Taicho has… passed away..!"

Kyoraku froze at the news, his muscles turning rigid as his eyes widened.

"The cause of death is severe heart injury and removal of hakusui with a Zanpakuto. It is definitely a homicide. There is no suspect yet…" Ise-Fukutaicho gravely reported. "It was a top priority order under the combined authority of Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni-Sotaicho and Hitsugaya-Taicho. There is no doubt to the report…"

"…Is that so… Then Sosuke-Kun is…" Kyoraku sighed, his hand coming up to tilt his straw hat downwards a bit more. "…In that case, let's go pay him a visit."

"Yes, sir." Ise-Fukutaicho agreed, nodding.

However, the Fukutaicho froze for a second. Her sharp eyes landed on the fallen Ryoka, her glasses flashing as she scrutinized him.

"Is something wrong, Kyoraku-Taicho?" Ise-Fukutaicho questioned. "That Ryoka is still alive."

Kyoraku turned his head towards his Fukutaicho, not looking all too alarmed.

"Shall I… finish him off?" The Fukutaicho questioned, bringing her hand up and letting it glow with a bright white reiatsu; its killing intent could be easily felt.

However, before she could strike, she was struck down.

A blow to the back of her neck knocked her out, causing her body to fall towards the ground, limp and lifeless.

"Well, if it isn't Jun-Kun."

• • •

 _"_ _You've made it just in time, Jun…"_ My Zanpakuto comforted, swelling in pride as I effortlessly took down the Fukutaicho who had aimed to kill Chad. I didn't even need to use my Zanpakuto to do it; Ise-Fukutaicho had let her guard down, so I was able to simply knock her out by pressing the pressure point in the back of her neck.

"Well, if it isn't Jun-Kun." Kyoraku-Taicho greeted, the corners of his lips twitching up in a smile even though his Fukutaicho was currently unconscious at my feet. "I certainly wasn't expecting to see you."

"My apologies, Kyoraku-Taicho." I sternly spoke, quickly withdrawing Ankoku-Tatsu as I stood in a defensive position in front of Chad's fallen form. From the corner of my eye I could see that he was bleeding pretty badly from somewhere around his chest… He should be able to hold on for a bit longer.

Although, I wasn't suspecting Kyoraku-Taicho to be the one to take him down. Maybe Ise-Fukutaicho, but not Kyoraku-Taicho. Kyoraku was one of the oldest and strongest of the Taicho's. Not to mention that he was best friends with my Taicho, Ukitake-Taicho.

That's how Kyoraku knew who I was. He'd often stop by Thirteenth to avoid his workaholic Fukutaicho. I'd met him when I stopped to bring tea to Ukitake-Taicho because the two Third Seats were too busy trying to finish their paperwork and outdo each other. Kyoraku had been visiting Ukitake-Taicho, so I met him then.

"My, my. You like getting straight to the point, don't you?" Kyoraku-Taicho asked, grinning down at me as he readjusted the straw hat atop his head. "Why don't we just chat for a bit, eh?"

"Did you do this to Chad?" I questioned, quirking an eyebrow up towards the lazy Taicho. He never really took things seriously, as you can see.

Kyoraku's carefree look faded quickly as he glanced down once more towards the Mexican's fallen body. He was still alive, Kyoraku could tell, but his energy was faint. No wonder I was so on edge; Chad was a very strong individual. I had counted on nobody being able to take him down.

Sighing, the Taicho shook his head a bit. "You've allied yourself with the Ryoka, then?"

"Yes, I have." I answered, steading my Zanpakuto just in case something was to happen. "I can't let Rukia be executed. I'm here to help save her."

"That's what he told me," Kyoraku muttered, crossing his arms as he stared at the sky. "I thought that it was a bit reckless of him to come all this way to save Rukia-Chan. He didn't really know her. And you don't really know him either, do you?"

"I may not know that much about Chad, but he's one of my friends." I said, feeling my eyes narrow as I stared at the Taicho. My grip on my Zanpakuto tightened, turning my knuckles white. "Chad was willing to help even though he didn't really know Rukia. That means a lot to me. Because of that, I promised myself that I wouldn't let any of my friends die here. They deserve better than that; Chad is no exception."

Blinking, Kyoraku chuckled. "You sound like you've really grown up, Jun-Kun. I remember how distant you used to be… One trip to the World of the Living changed you this much?"

My eyes narrowed as I lightly growled. I could feel my anger rising. "I haven't been changed. My walls just started crumbling down."

"Even so, it was those humans who managed to do so, correct?"

"Maybe," I hedged, meekly shrugging my shoulders. "All I know is that they mean a lot to me. I can't just stand by and let them be struck down. I've lost way too many people and I won't let them meet that same fate."

"That's very noble of you." Kyoraku-Taicho nodded, grinning down at me. "If Jushiro were here now, I'd say that even he would be impressed."

Wincing a bit, I gulped. "Please, don't bring up Taicho's name. I know he wouldn't be too happy to hear about everything that's going on. I don't think Ukitake-Taicho would forgive me… Especially now that you, his best friend, stand in my way. I can't just stand aside. I'm guessing you won't either?"

"As much as I would like to, I'm afraid that I can't. Yama-Jii would have my head if I did…" Kyoraku sighed.

I hung my head, regretting having to go up against him. He and my Taicho were probably tied for the strongest Taicho, after the Sotaicho that is. I didn't want to go up against him… I don't even know if I'd be able to do anything to him. He was on a whole different level.

But I had to do it.

He was standing in the way of my goal.

Determination shone on my face, my eyes turning even icier. "Then so be it, Kyoraku-Taicho."

Mumbling the incantation to unleash the seal on my lower back, I concentrated on the blue reiatsu flames that formed on each of my fingertips. When I was finished with the whole incantation, I took a deep breath and thrust my fingers into the seal on my lower back.

The reiatsu flames burned through the material of my Shihakusho, revealing the traditional skull. Lighting up, the seal released; the tribal etchings vanished in black wisps and my reiatsu skyrocketed. Kyoraku's eyes widened at the release of reiatsu, his hands quickly gripping onto the hilts of his Zanpakuto's.

"You've been suppressing your reiatsu this whole time?" The Taicho questioned, eyebrows rising as he slipped his Zanpakuto from their sheaths. Swiftly moving in an offensive position, his tachi sword pointed straight at me while he held his wakizashi pointed towards the sky. "I'd say this can easily match a Taicho's in strength… No wonder Shuhei-Kun and my Nanao-Chan didn't stand a chance against you."

"True," I grinned, pointing Ankoku-Tatsu at the Taicho. "But I still had my seal when I faced both of them. Ise-Fukutaicho just let her guard down. Hisagi-Fukutaicho actually put up a bit of a fight."

Kyoraku chuckled. "Maybe I should release my Zanpakuto against you."

"Maybe you should." I chuckled as well, grinning. "I know I will."

"Do you have Bankai?" He questioned, a serious look in his eyes.

Shaking my head, I dejectedly sighed. "I didn't have enough time to train for it before we invaded. If only I had a few more days… But, I did master my Shikai; I can only hope that it's enough."

"Then I'll only release Shikai as well. Fair is fair." Kyoraku-Taicho grinned.

"That's up to you." I shrugged, before concentrating on my reiatsu. The shadows began to swirl around me, dancing before our very eyes. It was so much easier now that I had access to all of my reiatsu. "Sorera no ue ni kagekyasuto, Ankoku-Tatsu!"

Kyoraku-Taicho watched in interest as the shadows crawled up my Zanpakuto's blade, tainting it the familiar dark black color. Black continued to flow around me and my blade, evidence that I was much stronger when I had my consistent source of reiatsu.

"Interesting," Kyoraku nodded. "Now, it's my turn."

The Taicho readied his Zanpakuto's, eyes hardening a bit as he concentrated on his reiatsu. I could feel the level increase, but it didn't affect me like I thought it would; mainly because we were close to being on equal footing now.

"Hana kaze midarete, kashin naki, tenpu midarete, tenma warau." {Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer} Kyoraku recited, his Shikai activation phrase sounding more like a poem rather than a releasing command. However, a bright flash soon illuminated the area. When it cleared, the Taicho was standing there with his two released Zanpakuto's. "Katen Kyokotsu."

Kyoraku's Zanpakuto still existed as twin blades, but they had transformed just a tiny bit. Instead of looking like regular katana's, they now looked like a pair of heavily curved Chinese scimitars. The blades were black, which was odd, but they had silver edges. The hilt and guard looked the same, but there were now long red tassels hanging from the end. One was slightly larger than the other, so it was easy to distinguish which one used to be the tachi and which used to be the wakizashi.

"Twin blades… This is gonna be tough." I sighed, craning my neck to the side and grinning in content as it popped. "But, I can't back down from a challenge. Especially if my friend's lives depend on it."

"If only you would sit down and have a drink with me… I'd much rather do that than fight you." Kyoraku sighed, lightly shaking his head. "You're much too determined to back down."

"Correct," I grinned, smiling up at the much taller Taicho. He towered over me by more than a foot. "I'm sure you've heard how stubborn I can be."

"My apologies for trying to convince you otherwise." The Taicho murmured, pointing his Zanpakuto towards me. "I guess I have no choice but to fight you. Although, I don't like fighting against young ones."

"I am not young!" I huffed, glaring at the Taicho. "I may only be a human, but I've experienced more than most do in ten lifetimes..!"

Kyoraku-Taicho chuckled. "That may be so."

"Brace yourself, Kyoraku-Taicho!"

• • •

Zaraki Kenpachi sat with his back against the wall, his Zanpakuto resting against his shoulder as he waited. He wasn't going to chase down his frightened opponent. No, when they were ready they would come and find him.

"…You've finally decided to come out…" Kenpachi muttered as he rose to his feet, his eye locked on the Ryoka with bright orange hair. He didn't care if he was a Ryoka, this kid was strong. It'd been too long since he'd last had a good fight. "Are you ready to die? Or are you surrendering?"

"Both of those are wrong!" Kurosaki Ichigo exclaimed, cinnamon eyes shining in determination as he tightened his grip on his Zanpakuto. The strawberry ran forward, Zanpakuto ready to slice the battle loving Taicho.

With a wide swing, Ichigo's Zanpakuto connected with Kenpachi's chest; he actually managed to cut him! Blood spurted from the wound, Kenpachi's eye widening in surprise.

"Sorry, but… I can't die here." Ichigo said, his eyes darting up towards the Taicho. "If I do, everything that I hold dear…will be destroyed!"

The Taicho was silent for a moment before his lips tugged upward into a ferocious smirk. His reiatsu increased even more, causing the strawberry's eyes to widen a bit. "What's this? So you can do it after all… Don't relax yet. Keep up that sharpened reiatsu… The fun is just beginning. Isn't it? Kurosaki Ichigo!"

The pink haired Fukutaicho of the Eleventh giggled, smiling at the excited look on her Taicho's face. If Kenpachi was happy, then so was she.

"Ken-Chan looks so happy…" She smiled, watching the spiky haired Taicho charge the strawberry. Ichigo was keeping up with Kenpachi, somehow managing to counter his strikes and even dodge some. He could even hear the ringing of the bells in his hair.

However, she blinked in surprise as she felt another reiatsu that she recognized nearby. Her dark pink eyes tore themselves away from the battle in front of her as she looked in the direction of the familiar reiatsu. "Jun-Kun..?"

The other two felt the burst of reiatsu as well. Ichigo's cinnamon eyes considerably widened, losing his focus on his own reiatsu as his mind raced to thoughts of Junko. Kenpachi's Zanpakuto was able to pierce straight through the strawberry's Zanpakuto, impaling his chest.

"I told you not to relax just yet… Your reiatsu…" Kenpachi muttered, "Has become this weak just because you got distracted by the other flare of reiatsu nearby…and because you saw that you had a chance to win."

Kenpachi jerked his Zanpakuto out, pulling it out of Ichigo's chest.

"What a boring end…"

Ichigo's body fell to the ground, his large clever like Zanpakuto splitting in two pieces.

"Che… Sure you could scratch me, sure you could hear my bells, but none of that matters if you don't last…" Kenpachi said, his dark eye staring down at Ichigo.

Shallow gasping breaths were all that Ichigo could manage. Blood began leaking from his chest wound, quickly pooling around his fallen body. Violently, the strawberry began coughing; he was coughing up blood.

"…This is it? How dull." Kenpachi said, turning his back on the injured Substitute Shinigami. "Maybe I should go and scout out that other reiatsu… It's still burning strong…"

Ichigo mentally cursed, his hand slowly curling into a fist. He had to move. He had to fight! He couldn't let Kenpachi walk away; he was planning on targeting Jun next!

The bleeding just had to stop! He had to get up, to move!

He had to save Rukia! He had to save the rest of his friends!

Kenpachi continued walking away from the injured strawberry, the tip of his Zanpakuto dragging along the tiled ground. After he was a good ten steps away, Kenpachi slung his Zanpakuto back over his shoulder, not even looking back.

However, he froze.

Everything froze.

The birds froze in the sky, the clouds stopped moving, the wind stopped blowing.

A man dressed in black appeared next to Kenpachi, his ragged black cloak fluttering even though there was no wind. The figure continued walking towards Ichigo, pausing mere feet away.

"Do you want to fight?" The man in black questioned, staring down at the strawberry from behind lightly tinted thin sunglasses. "To fight… Or to live… Choose."

"…want to win…" Ichigo murmured, staring up at his Zanpakuto spirit.

"I can't hear you." The man in black said, watching as Ichigo's grip around the broken sword tightened, his knuckles turning white.

"It's pointless to just fight… It's pointless to just live… I want to win..!" Ichigo ground out, his eyes shining in determination. "I want to win!"


	47. Chapter Forty-Six

• • •

I was forced back, skidding across the tiled ground. Using Ankoku-Tatsu to raise my body off of the ground, I panted while trying to get my breath.

Wound assessment:

I had a gash across my right cheek.

My left Shihakusho sleeve was missing, due to a large cut running down my left arm.

My left thigh had a thin gash, but it wasn't that bad.

All in all, I wasn't that wounded. I had re-opened the deep shoulder wound; I could feel the blood soaking through the bandages. When I glanced at it from the corner of my eye, I could see it tainted scarlet.

How wounded was Kyoraku-Taicho, you may ask?

Well, he was forced to abandon his floral pink kimono from the start. He didn't abandon his straw hat; which now had a rather large chunk missing. I had also managed to nick his head with that one, so there was a line of blood steadily rolling down the side of his face.

I had also managed to leave a thin gash across his chest, but it wasn't nearly as deep as I hoped it would have been. There was an identical gash on his right forearm.

Nothing major. Nothing life threatening.

"That was quite something, the way you managed to make my Bushogoma {Lazy Spinning Top} disappear." Kyoraku-Taicho praised, lazily grinning at me. "Let's see that again, shall we?"

Kyoraku stuck his released Zanpakuto out to his sides, spinning. From the spin, two large crescent shapes of solidified wind formed, heading straight towards me once more. Before they got to me, however, they joined and formed a ring.

My icy eyes narrowed at the attack, the red haze still coloring my eyes. Sousa hadn't worked on Kyoraku; he was strong enough to resist me manipulating his own shadow. The Taicho caught on before I had enough time to claim his shadow as mine. Bringing Ankoku-Tatsu up to shield me horizontally, I focused on my own attack.

"Kage Hikikaeru!" I exclaimed, the red of my eyes lightening for a second before darkening up to the normal shade of red. In thin air, shadows formed and spun around until a small sphere was hanging there. However, if you looked close enough, you could see the black of the shadows tainted with the red of my reiatsu.

Kyoraku-Taicho's attack came closer with the sphere, never really colliding with it before it was sucked into the rip in space.

"I wonder… You haven't sent my attacks back at me, like Jushiro would. I'm guessing your attacks are different than his are." Kyoraku noted, observing the sphere from a safe distance away.

Panting, I lowered my blade as I stared at the Taicho across from me. He didn't look out of breath at all; he looked perfectly normal save for the chunk of his hat missing and a few small patches of blood. Kyoraku had to have been going easy on me. There's no other way to view this situation; he was toying around with me.

I was about to charge towards Kyoraku until I froze, my eyes widening at the familiar burst of reiatsu not too far away.

Ichigo..!

When had his reiatsu managed to surge to such high levels? I hadn't felt this from him since… when he attacked the Menos! But, even then, it was messy and out of his conscious control. This time… it seemed like he had a solid grasp on it.

Kyoraku paused as well, head tilted to the side as another burst of reiatsu reverberated through the area. "Kenpachi… He must be fighting someone strong. It seems like he's having a good time."

"He's fighting Ichigo." I said, blinking as I tilted my head in their direction. "I didn't know Ichigo had become so powerful."

I could feel Ichigo's reiatsu increase even more, matching the large increase that Kenpachi's had jumped a few seconds ago. Kenpachi was a monster. And Ichigo could actually be on par with that?

There was no telling how cut up Ichigo had to have been.

I had to hurry. Chad needed medical attention and I bet Ichigo did too.

"I'm sorry, Kyoraku-Taicho, but we need to end this." I spoke, turning my head away from the direction of Ichigo's fight, so I could eye Kyoraku-Taicho. However, the Taicho was nowhere in sight..!

I raised my guard, letting my eyes scan my surroundings.

Nearby buildings were crumbled; from both Chad's fight, I'm guessing, and my own with Kyoraku. So he probably wasn't hiding in the rubble. There were walls surrounding us… but I didn't see him on top of the surrounding walls. I could easily feel his reiatsu, but I couldn't pinpoint it. When I tried to trace it, it felt hazy.

Ichigo's and Kenpachi's reiatsu… both of them just dramatically dropped! Which one lost? Which on one?!

Ichigo…are you okay?!

My muscles stiffened, my back straightening up from my defensive position. Something didn't feel right. But… I couldn't put a finger on it exactly.

 _"_ _Behind you..!"_

My Zanpakuto's warning came too late; I felt the searing pain as I spun around, only to be slashed horizontally across the upper portion of my chest. I could feel my knees shaking from the pain; my arms were even going numb! My grip on Ankoku-Tatsu weakened, letting my Zanpakuto fall from my grasp and fall to the ground. I began seeing black spots, however, that might have been from my Shikai deactivating itself.

I could feel my knees wobble, and before I knew it, I had lost consciousness. I was out before I hit the ground.

• • •

"I hope Jushiro'll forgive me…" Kyoraku sighed, not even watching as he sealed his Zanpakuto's back and sheathed them. His hand went to rest on his hat, only to find the chunk missing. "But, she sure did put up a fight."

The Taicho bent down, feeling a sigh of relief leave his body once he saw Junko's chest slowly rising and falling; that meant she was still alive. Jushiro definitely wouldn't forgive him if he killed one of his subordinates.

"I just wasn't your ideal opponent." The tall Taicho mournfully stated, his lips twitching up a bit as one of his hands rested on the hilt of one of his Zanpakuto. "When I saw that you manipulated the shadows, I knew that Katen Kyokotsu would wanna play 'that' game. If only you had found a Taicho that couldn't use shadows to their advantage…"

"K-Kyoraku-Taicho..!" Ise Nanao stammered, heavily breathing as she readjusted the glasses on her face. She was slightly flushed; probably in embarrassment from being taken down so easily. "Did you get the other Ryoka?"

"You could say that," Kyoraku answered, sheepishly grinning down at his Fukutaicho. "I never would have guessed that Jun-Kun allied herself with the Ryoka. They must really be determined to save Rukia-Chan."

Nanao's glasses flashed, guiltily looking away from her Taicho. "Forgive me; I should have anticipated her attack…"

"It's not your fault." The Taicho comforted, placing one of his large hands on Nanao's slim shoulder blade. "Jun-Kun was stronger than even I anticipated; she was easily at the level of a Taicho. I don't think any of our Fukutaicho would be able to stand against her."

"Just what should we do with them? They're both still alive, I can feel it. These Ryoka… Even if they are here to save Kuchiki-San, they might have been the ones that murdered Aizen-Taicho! They might know who did it!"

"…Yes, that may be true." Kyoraku spoke, his eyes moving to rest on the fallen forms of both Ryoka. "But, it may also be false. I do not believe that Jun-Kun killed Aizen; she was probably fighting Shuhei-Kun at that time. No…"

"Eh?" The Fukutaicho questioned, her eyes widening behind her glasses.

Kyoraku's gaze fell, his hat hiding his eyes. "We are just guessing without any proof here. Either way, we should avoid the possibility of killing innocent people. Call for the paramedics and then place them both in the detention area. Jushiro will probably request for Jun-Kun to be moved to his holding cell, so tip them off about that." The Taicho paused, walking over to the ruble and picking up his floral kimono. Shaking it a bit and dusting it off, his hung it from his shoulders once more. "If they are connected to the murder, then we must not kill them like this. I'm sure you understand."

"I understand…" Nanao affirmed, "I will get on it immediately. I apologize for my foolishness."

The Taicho merely sighed as his deep gray eyes rose to study the clouds floating about in the sky. "It seems…things are starting to get out of hand…"

• • •

Ichigo's rich cinnamon eyes fluttered open, wearily looking around and spotting an unfamiliar ceiling. Where was he? Was he not…dead?

"Looks like you're awake," A voice called out, startling the strawberry.

"Yoruichi-San…" Ichigo said, a grin tugging on the corners of his lips as he tilted his head to get a better look at the black cat. "You're still okay… That's a relief…

"Yes, better than you." The black cat stated, an almost teasing tone in its voice.

Ichigo's eyes widened at bit, a light bulb coming on over his head. "Ah, did Yoruichi-San rescue me..? Thanks for that…"

"Neh," The cat shrugged. "You should thank your stubbornness that kept you alive with such injuries."

"Injuries? Yeah, I suppose I got hit quite a few times…" The strawberry trailed off, only to remember what had previously gone on. Quickly sitting up, the strawberry winced as his wounds reopened and the white bandages wrapped around his torso started turning crimson. "Ow!"

"Idiot! You can't get up yet!" Yoruichi yelled, "Don't you know how bad your injuries are?! What were you thinking?!"

"Chad… He's in danger. I have to go help him." Ichigo spoke, gritting his teeth as his hand applied pressure to the wound on his torso. "And that crazy Taicho was going to go after Jun…"

The black cat nimbly jumped through the air, front paws connecting with Ichigo's forehead. The Substitute Shinigami was forced back down, his back colliding with the soft bedding he had been lying on before he woke up.

"Calm down. Sado is fine." Yoruichi informed. "Jun should be as well. I don't think Kenpachi will target her for a while… You and he tied, so he has his own fair share of injuries as well. Inoue and Ishida are also fine."

"Eh?"

"Sado was lucky; his opponent wasn't bad. Jun rushed in to help, but I'm not too sure how much she helped. Both are getting medical treatment right away. Inoue and Ishida have avoided confrontations nicely and are barely wounded at all." The cat went into further detail, golden eyes gleaming. "Just stay in the barrier and rest. A half-dead man won't be able to save anyone."

The cat blinked its amber eyes, as if it'd just realized something.

"Also, half of your possession got smashed… If it wasn't for this thing, your torso would have been cut in two already." Yoruichi explained, using her paws to drag what looked like a broken Hollow mask towards Ichigo. She easily managed to prop it up, showing off the damage done to the mask; the left eye socket was completely busted through to the edge of the mask and there were cracks running diagonally across to the other eye socket. "Though I am surprised that you would carry something like this with you…"

"Huh?" Ichigo questioned, his eyes visibly widening. "I had that thing…on me?"

"Hm? Don't you carry it with you?"

"No. Actually, I kind of got saved by that thing when I fought Renji yesterday, so I wanted to keep it with me as a lucky charm… But Hanatarou insisted that I throw it away, so… I threw it away in the sewers." The strawberry explained, only to pause at seeing the wide amber eyes. "Oh, Hanatarou is from the Fourth Division, but he's a cool guy. He's the one that healed my wounds from when I fought Renji. Anyways I don't know how it got back to me… I'm sure I threw it away..."

Ichigo picked up the broken masking, holding it above his head as he stared at it.

"Wait, I'll take it for safekeeping." Yoruichi spoke.

"Hm? Why? I want to keep it…" Ichigo stated, blankly turning to stare at the cat.

"Give it to me. End of discussion." Yoruichi demanded, her head lowering as she glowered at the strawberry.

"Y…Yes, please, take it." The Substitute Shinigami meekly muttered, holding the mask out to the cat. "That scary face was totally uncalled for… All you had to do was ask for it…"

Yoruichi's gaze hardened as she studied the mask.

It looked so much like a Hollow mask…

It's probably not possible, but…

It'd be better if she kept an eye on Ichigo, just in case.

"Oh yeah, Yoruichi-San sure is strong…" Ichigo noted.

Yoruichi blinked, tearing her gaze away from the creepy mask. "What do you mean?"

"Running around without getting hurt at all… And then carrying me here with such a small body…"

"Oh. There's no problem once I return to my original form." The cat offhandly replied.

Ichigo merely nodded, his cinnamon gaze still on the ceiling above him. "Ah, I see… Your original-" He paused, the words finally sinking into his head. He turned towards the cat, skeptically eyeing it. "Original…form?"

The cat looked a bit shocked. "Ah. Come to think of it, I've never shown you guys before. Well, Jun knows because we met when she was younger… Although, she didn't know about this form, so it was a shock to her once I told her who I was." Yoruichi chuckled, grinning at the unsuspecting strawberry. "Alright. There's no point hiding it anymore. I'll show you my…true form."

Before the strawberry's eyes, the cat's back arched and smoke filled the area and obscured his vision. Coughing a bit, Ichigo squinted through the smoke, trying to see Yoruichi's true form. Sitting up, he patiently waited until he could see.

When the smoke finally began to clear, Yoruichi's bare form was visible.

Ichigo's eyes widened, his jaw dropping. His right hand rose, meekly pointing his index finger towards the woman. "Wh…a…aaat…?"

"Hehe, you sure look surprised." Yoruichi laughed, crossing her arms over her bare chest as the rest of the smoke cleared. Her golden eyes shimmered in amusement, that much was clear. "You probably thought that I am a guy because of the way I talk. Your face is all red, too. I really love turning back into my true form. Everyone gets so surprised by that."

Yoruichi continued to laugh at Ichigo's dumbstruck face, which was steadily rising in color as the seconds passed.

"Now… I'll tell you how I carried you here." Yoruichi tried to explain, holding the old device in her hand as she squat down in front of Ichigo, still nude. "First, I used this-"

"PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"

Yoruichi laughed and, with much teasing, waltzed over to where she kept a spare change of clothes.

"Ah. Sorry, sorry." She replied, tugging on a turtle neck shirt. "I haven't worn clothes for so long, I guess I forgot. Though surprisingly, you're quite innocent. Was that your first time seeing a girl naked? Hm?"

"S-Shut up…" Ichigo mumbled, his face flushed as his back was facing the dressing woman.

Yoruichi chuckled. "I'm shocked. I would have guessed that you would have at least seen Jun naked already."

"W-W-What?!" The strawberry yelled, his voice jumping an octave as he forced himself to not turn around and glare at the woman, who was probably still halfway nude. "Wh-Where would you get an idea like th-that?!"

"I'm sure if you asked her she'd let you see." Yoruichi chuckled, pulling her arm through the long sleeve. "Until then, are you sure you don't wanna look? Jun can be a bit of a prude, so you probably won't get this opportunity for a long time."

"I said shut up!" Ichigo exclaimed, turning around and screaming once more when he saw her pulling her shirt up and exposing her lower body. "Don't worry about my future and get dressed!"

"Che, you have no sense of humor." Yoruichi whined. "Do people often tell you that you're a boring man?"

"Not even once! It's none of your business even if they do!" Ichigo paused, taking another look over his shoulder. "And why aren't you wearing anything on your lower body?! Don't people normally start dressing from the bottom?!"

"Anyways…" The cat-like woman interrupted, holding out the device that she was trying to explain about earlier on her foot after she had put her pants on. "I used this artifact to transport you here. By the way… Is the wound on your stomach okay? Normally screaming that loud will cause the wound to open up. So be careful in the future."

Ichigo glowered, his hand tenderly skimming over the bandages as he sulked; it sure hurt like hell to scream like that!

"So with this… you just put reiatsu in it and you can fly?" Ichigo asked, reaching out and grabbing ahold of the bone looking object.

"Yeah! It's a very unique artifact in Soul Society. You should feel honored."

"Why would such a treasure end up in your hands?" Ichigo questioned, raising his deep cinnamon gaze towards Yoruichi. "You shape shift, you cure wounds, and you have something like this… Yoruichi-San, who are you?"

The woman took a step forward. "That's-"

Both people froze at the intensity of the reiatsu that was released. To be able to feel it where ever they currently were, that was impressive.

"This…reiatsu…!" Yoruichi muttered, her golden gaze shifting to stare at the ceiling.

Ichigo's eyes widened; he recognized the reiatsu. "It's him..!"


	48. Chapter Forty-Seven

• • •

"Oh! You're finally up!" Ganju exclaimed, bending over from his bunk as he stared down at Ishida. Although, I doubt he could even see the archer; he had bandages wrapped around every inch of exposed flesh, his face included.

Ishida's eyes narrowed, not recognizing the mummy that was hanging in front of his face. "Waaaaah?! Wh…Wh….Who are you?! Are you some kind of a robber?!"

Ganju scoffed, nimbly jumping down from his top bunk so he could face Ishida properly. "No! Plus, what can I possibly rob from a wounded guy in jail?"

Biting my lip, I tried to suppress the snickers that I was sure would come; he could still probably rob something, if he was into that. No wonder Ishida was so jumpy. Maaaan, I needed to stop hanging around Kon so much.

"It's me! It's me!" Ganju hollered, bringing one of his hands up to push back some of the bandages on his face.

"Ganju-Kun?!" Ishida asked, surprised. "I'm glad that you're still alive! You didn't seem strong, so I thought that you would already be…"

Crossing his arms, the mummy glared at the archer. "…I'll pretend you never said that…"

"In any case, why were our injuries treated?" Ishida questioned, still not looking around the small room to notice Chad and me. "We are the attackers… We're their enemies! The officials of Soul Society should have no reason to help us-"

"The situation has changed." I interrupted, angling my head so I could stare down at the two men. I was seated on the top bunk across the room from them, dressed in the traditional kimono of a prisoner.

"Kokawa-San?! Sado-Kun?!" Ishida blinked, his deep blue eyes jumping between Chad and myself. He must have really been injured if he didn't sense our presence before now.

"We overheard the guards…" Chad mumbled, hands twitching a bit as he leaned forward in the chair that he was sitting in. His hands were cuffed as well.

Nodding, I sung my legs up and down as I sat on the edge of the bed. "Chad overheard the guards and told me about it once I woke up, so I was able to piece together the info to figure out what's going on. Apparently, a Taicho has been murdered. They don't know who did it, either. Because of this, us Ryoka are probably the primary source of information. Who else would they suspect?"

"…I see," Ishida sighed, "So that's why we got arrested; for interrogation."

"Makes sense. I can't think of any other reason why they'd treat our wounds and keep us locked up." I shrugged, rotating my wrists a bit; I hated having to wear these cuffs.

Ganju scowled, raising his hands. "If my reiatsu wasn't sealed off by these handcuffs, I could easily break a hole in the wall with Seppa…" {Stone Blast}

I noticed Ishida's mournful gaze as he looked at his bandaged hands. This was out of character for him, so I assumed that something was up. And not just anything; he didn't seem to want to talk about it.

"Anyway!" Ganju exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. "Even though we survived, we're locked up and cuffed up! This is the worst possible scenario! But one thing is for sure… If they enemy doesn't want to kill us, the others are probably still alive!"

"If the four of us were captured… Then that leaves Orihime, Ichigo, and Yoruichi. Orihime probably isn't any good at fighting, so I'm going to assume that she might be captured as well. That just leaves Yoruichi and Ichigo." I sighed, biting my lower lip and messing with my lip ring.

"I'm waiting for Ichigo." Chad announced, lacing his fingers together as he stared at the bars of the cell. "He will definitely come and get us out of here. Until then, the only thing we can do is heal and prepare for the next battle… Let's wait for Ichigo!"

I nodded, my eyes shining in determination as I looked out of the small window that was on my right. From my position, I could see the sky outside. I could mostly see grass, so I realized that we were probably underground somewhere in the Fourth.

Chad was right. Ichigo would come for us.

I didn't want to wait for Ichigo, though. I wanted to prove to him that I'd be able to help; I didn't want him to worry.

"Kokawa Junko?"

Looking up at the sound of my name, I blinked once I saw a couple of guards outside of the cell that we were held in.

"Yes?" I asked, nimbly jumping down from my perch. My bangs brushed against the bandage on my right cheek, so I brought my hand up to push them back. "I am Kokawa Junko. What do you want with me?"

"We have orders to transport Kokawa Junko to a different holding cell." One of the guards informed, holding a staff in his hands. There were three other guards with staffs, plus the two guards who had been stationed outside of the cell since I'd woken.

My brows furrowed, eyes narrowing at the guards. "Why?"

"A higher up requested it." One of our two guards piped up, holding what looked like a red choker in his hands. "Now, if you would please step forward. And only you; the others have to stay back."

I took a step forward, my head held high. If this is what they wanted, then so be it. As long as they didn't do anything to harm Chad, Ishida, or Ganju, then I would willingly go with them.

"Kokawa! Don't do it..!" Ishida exclaimed, eyes wide as he made a motion to stop me.

"Don't!" I snapped, turning my head to glare at him. "If this is what keeps the higher ups happy and you guys safe, then I will gladly go with them. It's not in their policy to swiftly execute any prisoner; I'll be fine."

Ishida didn't argue any more, instead he and the others watched with wide eyes as I swiftly walked towards the bars. My gaze didn't falter, even when they placed the red choker around my neck.

It was a little bigger than I had imagined, resting against my collar bones. However, it was lighter than it looked. I had expected it to weigh a bit more.

"Forward."

Obeying, I walked forward and stood in the center of the hallway. Before my eyes, red ropes flew out from the collar, connecting to the staffs that the four guards had been carrying.

This must have been how they transported prisoners.

Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. I didn't have my Zanpakuto, my hands were still cuffed, my reiatsu was blocked, and I was now tethered to the guards.

"Don't worry; I'll see you guys soon." I spoke, turning my icy blue eyes towards my friends. All three of them had rushed towards the bars once the door was sealed shut. I could see how white their knuckles were from where they were gripping the bars.

"It's time to go." Another guard ordered, walking over to us. He held my Zanpakuto in his hands; it was strapped down to a silk pillow. Now they were just teasing me, I'm sure.

The guards took off, practically dragging me with them at first. I was able to recover my footing, keeping up with their brisk pace. Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered that I wasn't wearing any shoes; I guess that prisoners didn't get the privilege of wearing them.

I began the long trek to this 'other holding cell.'

• • •

"Ha~" The orange haired Substitute Shinigami heaved a sigh, leaning back on the rocky ledge of the water that surrounded him. "A hot spring… I never would've thought that there's such a thing here. Hm. This is actually my first time in a hot spring!"

Ichigo slid down further in the warm waters, tilting his head so his cinnamon eyes could sweep across the barren landscape. There were still so many swords stuck into the Earth. So many possibilities; any one of them could be the one that he could use to defeat his Zanpakuto…

"Training… She said that day one is over, so is it night time now? Ack, every bone in my body is hurting like hell. There's no way to tell time here. I think I've lost my sense of time." The strawberry complained, leaning forward to splash the warm water on his face. He froze, cinnamon eyes widening once he felt the large gash on his cheek instantly heal. "This, this hot spring…my wounds are healing super-fast! Wow! All the pain is gone and all the wounds are healing! Amazing!"

"Ichigo?"

Said strawberry blinked, his mouth full of the water; he had been trying to heal other wounds by drinking the water. "Wuwurichi-Wan?"

"How's the temperature of the water?" Yoruichi asked, able to interpret his words through his mouth full of water.

Waving a hand in the air, Ichigo continued. "Mmkay, wit's mot wad wa wall."

"Oh? That's good." Yoruichi grinned, beginning to slide out of her clothes. "Then I'll take a bath, too."

Almost choking, Ichigo forcefully spit out all the water in his mouth as his eyes almost budged out of their sockets. Coughing, the Substitute Shinigami turned around for a brief second, only to turn as red as his namesake. "Idiot! What are you saying?! W-Why are you taking your pants off?!"

"Fufufu… Your reaction is just what I expected it would be. You're such an innocent boy."

"Don't play with me!"

"Okay! Stop yelling already!" Yoruichi exclaimed, jumping into the water. She began swimming around. It was odd seeing a cat swimming in water; weren't they supposed to hate it? "There's no problem now, right?"

Ichigo, with one hand on his face as he peeked through that eye, was still flushed as he stared at the cat merrily swimming around.

"So? Are you disappointed?" Yoruichi questioned. "Tell me the truth! Well, pervert?"

"Don't make me drown you!" Ichigo seethed, glaring at the female cat.

It was peaceful for a few moments, until Ichigo brought up the fact that this training area looked much like the one that was hidden under the Urahara Shoten. Yoruichi went on to explain that that one was probably fashioned after the one they were currently in.

Then, she talked a bit about their past; how she joined the Onmitsukido while Urahara had joined the Gotei Thirteen.

"H-Hold on, Yoruichi-San!" Ichigo interrupted, eyes wide at this new piece of information. "You said Gotei Thirteen… That guy is a Shinigami?!"

"You mean Urahara?"

"Yeah!" Ichigo exclaimed. "I've always thought that it was strange. How he knew so much about Soul Society, and how he also had a Zanpakuto… Then, in Soul Society, everyone's face changed once I mentioned his name! Tell me Yoruichi-San: who is he?"

Yoruichi sighed, closing her bright amber eyes for a second while she did so. "…So, he didn't tell you? That's Urahara for you." She paused, meeting Ichigo's gaze before continuing. "Alright, there's no point hiding it from you anymore. He was… The previous Taicho of the Twelfth Division of the Gotei Thirteen, and… the founder of the Research Institute of Technology. He was the first head of that institute."

"W-What?" Ichigo questioned, eyes wide. "Taicho?"

"Correct."

"Then why isn't he still in Soul Society?" He questioned, eyebrows furrowed.

Yoruichi's golden gaze narrowed a bit, the liquid amber freezing. "That's not my story to tell. Urahara would have to tell you that himself."

The strawberry was quiet for a moment, mulling everything over. "Then… does Jun know that he was a Taicho? Wasn't he her teacher before she came here?"

"Yes, she knows." Yoruichi simply answered. "Before he was her teacher, he had to get to know her better. He's probably one of the only people she fully trusts. Urahara was there for her when no one else was."

"I know that her parents died, and that she was left alone after that. Did Urahara take her in?"

"Junko was passed around to countless sets of foster parents. All of them eventually died in Hollow attacks. The Jun from that time was very closed off… It was almost like nobody was there." Yoruichi explained. "Urahara contacted me not too long after he took her in. She was just so detached from the world. She was lifeless; it was like she had given up on life."

Ichigo's eyes softened at Yoruichi's words.

"I was shocked when I first saw her a few weeks ago. Jun looked so full of life again. Urahara made the right choice by taking her in. Her Father would have never forgiven Urahara if he knew that Urahara just sat around and watched Jun suffer."

"Her Father?" The strawberry questioned. "He knew Urahara?"

"Of course; Kokawa Hayate was also a Taicho of the Gotei Thirteen. Did Jun not tell you about that?" Yoruichi questioned, wondering if she spilled too much.

Ichigo shook his head, his wet hair still firmly stuck to his forehead. "No, she just told me that he was a Shinigami."

"Well, he was a Taicho as well. He was a bit older than us, but we were still good friends." The cat smiled. "I knew Junko was his the second I sat eyes on her; she has her Father's eyes. And she seemed to have his hairstyle as well. Jun always did keep her hair somewhat short. She never allowed it to touch her shoulders."

"Why is that?" Ichigo asked. "Her hair is a few inches past her shoulders now."

"I know, that's another reason why I was surprised. I had never seen her with longer hair. She looks more mature with it long. I'd never asked her why she kept it short. I guess it was a personal choice."

Ichigo made a mental note to question Junko about that later.

"I can tell that she's changed for the better. Her time in the World of the Living has done her well. Just what did you do to her? I approve, whatever it is you've done."

"I haven't done anything!" He quickly answered, waving his hands about wildly. "D-Don't look at me like that!"

Chuckling, Yoruichi began swimming around once more. "Just have patience with her. She's still got a few walls constructed around her heart. She trusts you, I can tell. You'll be able to break those walls down. She's had a dark past; nobody can change that. But she can have a bright future."

• • •

"Thirteenth Division?" I questioned, eyes wide once I spotted the familiar number printed atop the main division building. I guess I had zoned out while we were walking; I didn't know we had walked this far because I was staring at the sun that was beginning to set.

"Correct," The head guard affirmed, not even looking back at me as he continued to lead us towards the main building. "Ukitake-Taicho requested that you be held here; you are technically a member of the Thirteenth, so they could not deny the request."

My breath left me in a huge sigh; I could feel my shoulders relaxing a bit. It felt good to be around Thirteenth again, but I didn't know how I was going to be able to face Ukitake-Taicho.

I had his trust, but then I went and sided with the Ryoka.

Maybe he might forgive me when he finds out that I did all this to save Rukia. I mean, she was a member of his Division, too. Ukitake-Taicho was always compassionate. Hopefully he wouldn't be too mad at me.

"Thank you very much for transporting the prisoner! We've got it from here, guards! Ukitake-Taicho sends his thanks!" Kotsubaki Sentaro, one of the two Third Seats of the Thirteenth Division, yelled as he opened the door and saw us standing there. "I, Kotsubaki Sentaro, will safely escort Kokawa Junko to one of the holding cells in our Division! This was ordered by none other than Ukitake-Taicho!"

"Very well, Kotsubaki-San-Seki." The head guard spoke, bowing his head as he handed over my Zanpakuto that was still strapped down to the silk pillow.

The other guards all formed the same hand sign, releasing the red ropes from their staffs. The two back ropes flew back into the choker, while the front two intertwined and formed what looked like a leash. The head guard stepped forward, grabbed the leash, and left me in the hands of the Third Seat of the Thirteenth Division.

• • •

"What did…you say?" The petite black haired woman questioned, her violet eyes widening in disbelief. She shakily took a step forward, closer to the guards and messenger that had appeared before her.

The messenger, dressed in dark robes instead of the white ones that the guard wore, narrowed his eyes as he took in the criminal's appearance. "Ah. You didn't hear me? I'll repeat it for you: It has been decided that Kuchiki-Sama's execution date has been changed once again. The execution will take place… tomorrow."


	49. Chapter Forty-Eight

• • •

Hitsugaya Toshiro, Taicho of the Tenth Division, stood in the doorway of Hinamori Momo's, the Fukutaicho of Fifth Division, room. Rangiku-Fukutaicho stood a few feet behind him and closer to the side. If Matsumoto had not shown up, then Hinamori would have been impaled by Ichimaru's Zanpakuto.

"A Jigokucho?" Rangiku questioned, her bright eyes lighting up once she saw the black butterfly barely fluttering its wings and drifting on the air towards them.

This time, the butterfly decided on relaying its message while it was still in the air.

 _"~The following message is meant for all Taicho and Fukutaicho. The convict, Kuchiki Rukia's execution date has once again been changed. The time of the execution has been set to…exactly twenty-nine hours from now. ~"_

"Taicho…This-" Rangiku-Fukutaicho interrupted, only to be cut off by the rest of the message the jigokucho recited.

 _"~This decision is final. The date should not be changed again. Over and out…~"_

Hitsugaya swiftly turned around, hastily walking down the hallway.

"Taicho!" Rangiku exclaimed, her eyes widening at his actions.

"The execution and release of Sokyoku… It's all a part of Ichimaru's plan. I can't just sit here and not do anything to stop it!" The white haired Taicho paused for a second, making up his mind. "Come, Matsumoto. Let's stop the execution."

• • •

"Byakuya! Bad news! Kuchiki's execution-" Ukitake Jushiro exclaimed once his deep brown eyes landed on the stoic Taicho.

"I have heard…" The Head of the Kuchiki family replied, not even turning his head to the side to stare at the other Taicho. "From a jigokucho that was here a while ago."

"I see," Ukitake nodded. "I'll get straight to the point-"

Still not even looking back, the dark haired Kuchiki cut him off. "No. I don't care."

"…What did you say?" Ukitake asked, his eyes widening in shock as he continued to stare at the still stoic man in front of him. He knew that Byakuya was normally a passive person, but to not care this much…

"The execution is tomorrow. That is what they have decided, and I shall honor their decision. In the future, do not stop me for unnecessary things like that. Excuse me."

"…You…" Ukitake's hand clenched into a fist, his expression hardening. His anger got the best of him in that moment; he strode forward and forcibly turned the other Taicho so their eyes could meet. "You! Stop joking around! How can you say such things right now!? It's tomorrow! Tomorrow! At noon tomorrow, your sister will-"

Ukitake's eyes widened as he felt his chest constrict. He hunched over, coughing over and over again. One of his hands went to his chest, gripping the material of his Shihakusho.

"…Don't stress over it." Kuchiki-Taicho stated, a cold gray eye turning to stare down at the wheezing white haired man. "This isn't the first time Senpai has lost a subordinate due to Senpai's inability. Is it not? It won't make much of a difference if it happens two or three more times."

Still wheezing, Ukitake raised his head to glare at the other Taicho. However, Kuchiki Byakuya seemed unaffected by the harsh look. Instead, the other Taicho merely turned around, ready to walk away.

"Anyways, she's a member of my family, not yours. Even if she is killed, it shouldn't concern you, Senpai." The Sixth Division Taicho paused in his steps for a second, a cold gray eye glancing back at the sickly Taicho. "Please be reasonable. Don't act recklessly."

Those being his parting words of advice, the Sixth Division Taicho walked away, not even bothering to glace back and show any waver in his resolve.

Ukitake's eyes hardened for a second as he was consumed by his thoughts. _"If you were in this situation…What would you have done? You would run after Byakuya…and kick him in the butt, wouldn't you? No matter how one Taicho complains, the Central Government won't change their decision for one person. But if it were you, you would still be running around appealing to save Kuchiki. No... No, you would probably do something completely different. You always choose…the path that leads to the most danger. Am I right? Kaien…"_

• • •

I sat in the only chair in my cell, my arms wrapped around my legs as my chin rested on my knees. It had been a long night, and I was tired. I couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried; I was too distracted by my thoughts and worries.

Was everyone else okay? They weren't hurt, were they? How much time did we have left before Rukia's execution?

Also, why hadn't I seen Ukitake-Taicho yet?

They told me that he was the one that requested my transfer to the Thirteenth Division holding cell. If he was really the one that requested it, how come he hadn't come to question me yet? Kotsubaki-San-Seki and Kotetsu-San-Seki had both stopped by to talk to me; at the same time of course. Each expressed, in their own way, how sorry they were that I had to stay locked up. They still considered me a member of their Division and they still trusted me. Both knew that I was trying to save Rukia; both respected that fact.

My ears were ringing by the time both actually left. Someone needed to tell them not to yell so loudly indoors…

All night long I just sat in the chair that faced the only window in this cell; but, I was thankful that this window was much bigger than the one in my previous cell. I could actually stare at the crescent shaped moon all night long, as well as the stars. The view had put me at ease a bit, soothing my troubled thoughts.

It wasn't difficult to communicate with Ankoku-Tatsu, either. The Third Seats decided to leave it propped against the far wall of my cell; leaving me with a perfect view of the Zanpakuto if I were to turn around and stare out of the bars of the cell.

I felt restless, just sitting here like this. Caught. Trapped. Useless… The list went on and on, especially as time continued to slowly move forward. When the sun began rising, my worried thoughts resumed as well.

"Kokawa-!"

Blinking at the sound of my name, I slowly turned my head towards the bars of my cell. That voice sounded familiar…but there's no way Taicho would be screaming my name. He'd just casually stroll by whenever he felt better and could fit me in his busy schedule.

But sure enough, Ukitake-Taicho ran into view. His hands gipped tightly onto the bars, his knuckles turning even whiter than his normally pale skin. Taicho was wheezing, his deep brown eyes appearing frenzied.

"Ukitake-Taicho, what is it? Are you feeling well?" I questioned, sliding my feet down from the edge of the chair as I rose and walked over to him. "You look worn out. What's going on?"

My Taicho caught his breath, staring down into my eyes. "It's Kuchiki. They've moved up the time of her execution."

"What?!" I whispered, eyes widening in shock. "When is it?!"

"Noon," Ukitake answered. "Today."

"Today..?" I echoed, feeling a bit dizzy all of a sudden.

Today? Rukia was going to be executed today? That couldn't possibly be true… The higher ups must have continuously been pushing up her execution date. Worse yet: we were all in jail, for the most part.

"Why did you side with the Ryoka?"

I looked up, my eyes filled with inner turmoil. "We wanted to save Rukia. She doesn't deserve to be killed. She's our friend."

"Did anyone in your group kill Aizen-Taicho?" Ukitake questioned.

"Aizen…Taicho?" I questioned, shaking my head in disbelief. "No, not that I know of. I never even felt his reiatsu fluctuate against anyone else in our group. They couldn't have killed him."

The white haired Taicho breathed a sigh of relief; I could easily see his tense shoulders seem to relax. When his deep brown eyes met mine, I could feel myself relax, too. He now seemed so calm, so determined. Something in his gaze was different, I could tell. The grin on his face was a dead giveaway.

"Taicho?" I questioned, feeling my brows furrow.

"Kiyone! Sentaro!" He called, removing a hand from my cell to hold near his mouth to amplify his call.

Both Third Seats came running when their names were call, appearing and kneeling down before Ukitake. "Taicho!"

"Kiyone, I need you to find an extra Shihakusho that will fit Junko. Sentaro, I need for you to find the key and release her from this cell." The Taicho ordered, slightly smiling.

"W-What?" I questioned, raising my hands to grip onto the cool metal bars as I stared at the scene before me. "You're releasing me..? Why?"

"We're going to save Kuchiki."

• • •

Abarai Renji sheathed his Zanpakuto, stretching a bit before he tightened the hair tie that kept his crimson locks up and out of the way. After a long night of training, he had finally done it. He was ready to go and help save Rukia.

"So then…I'm off."

"…Yeah." Ichigo barely acknowledged, his grip tightening on the sword in his hands. The orange haired man had yet to beat his Zanpakuto spirit into submission, but he was close. He could feel it. Bankai wasn't too far away.

Renji's gaze fell from the orange haired Shinigami before walking towards the exit out of the underground training facility. Yoruichi was standing off to the side, watching for any signs of progress. The red haired man halted in his steps when he was beside the darker skinned woman, "Yoruichi-San… Will he really be able to make it?"

Yoruichi's golden gaze never faltered as she continued to watch Ichigo stand before his Zanpakuto spirit. "Don't worry. I'm not worried about him…"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking if he'll die or anything." Renji corrected. "But he's trained to that point already. Can he really achieve Bankai?"

"Who knows?" The cat-like woman offhandedly replied, crossing her arms as she watched the Zanpakuto spirit multiply, ready to charge towards Ichigo. She could almost feel Renji's face fault, so she continued. "Renji, do you remember the first time that you walked?"

The red pineapple blinked and furrowed his tattooed eyebrows at the question. "Huh? How can I possibly remember something like that?"

"If you don't, then you don't consciously know how to do it. If so, how are you still able to walk?" Yoruichi rhetorically questioned. "Every person knows how to walk after being born, just like birds knowing how to fly and fish knowing how to swim. It's instinct! Because they instinctively know their strength, they won't think twice before trying to acquire that strength when that time finally comes. Seeing Ichigo's determined face…it reminds me of instinct." Her eyes flashed as she thought back to how far he had grown since the training had begun. "I think he knows instinctively that he can acquire that power. Thus, I believe, that he was born with the ability to achieve Bankai!"

• • •

"Thanks again, Kotetsu-San-Seki." I said, expressing my gratitude for being out of the white prisoner's kimono. Even though I was in a normal Shihakusho, it still felt better than before. I was even surprised when the hakama fit perfectly, not even trailing on the ground. Of course, I did opt out of wearing the tabi socks, so I guess it wasn't entirely traditional; I even had my sash tied into the huge bow like before and the top loosened a bit.

"There's no reason to be so formal, Kokawa." The Third Seat gently admonished, shaking her head at me and causing her short dark blond hair to fly around. "Taicho requested that we help you, so we finally get to do so. You know I'd do anything for the Taicho!"

"Of course," I nodded, grinning. It was easy to tell that she had a huge crush on the white haired Taicho, even if he was probably more than double her age. "I know Ukitake-Taicho knows what he's doing. If he didn't already have a plan, then I'm sure he does now."

"Right!" Kotetsu Kiyone beamed. "Taicho has a plan! And we're finally going to be able to help Kuchiki Rukia, too!"

"Ah, there you are Junko!" Ukitake-Taicho sighed in relief once we walked towards his office.

Blinking, I bit my lip a bit. "Were you waiting on us, Ukitake-Taicho?"

"Yes, I was." The white haired man nodded, looking a bit more frantic now than before. "You're good at controlling your reiatsu and kido, correct?"

"Yes, sir!" I grinned, beaming up at him. "My highest grades were in kido. And I've always had a firm grip on controlling my reiatsu."

Ukitake released a huge sigh, probably in relief of some sort. "That's good to know. I'm going to need your help."

"Help?" I echoed, questioning him. "Help with what, exactly?"

"Kiyone, Sentaro, I want you two to stand guard outside my office. Make sure no one tries to enter, okay?" The Taicho questioned, turning away from me to face his two Third Seats. Both of the Third Seats then saluted, shoulders rigid as they took his order to heart and began to stand guard. "Junko, I'll need your help inside. If you would…"

Holding the door to the office open for me, I nodded and did as my Taicho instructed; I entered his office and stood off to the side as I waited for him to enter. My sharp eyes scanned the office, landing on a sealed chest in the center of the room.

"Shihoin..?" I whispered, my eyes widening in size as they traced the familiar family crest engraved into the wood of the crate.

"Oh, you know of the Shihoin family?" Ukitake questioned, sliding the door shut and walking towards the crate. "May I ask how?"

"Oh, um…" I hedged, adverting my eyes from his face for a second. "You can say that a member of that family was an acquaintance of mine."

"I see." My Taicho nodded, his lips twitching upwards in a small smile. "Well, what's in this box will help us save Kuchiki. With it, we can destroy the Sokyoku."

"Great!" I beamed, excitedly walking over towards the box. "Do you need me to help operate it or something? Like using a kido spell to use it?"

Ukitake shook his head, his long silver hair gently swaying. "Not exactly; that may be true, but then again, that may not be true. I need your help breaking the seal to this box. Only when the seal is broken can we use this to destroy the Sokyoku."

Nodding, I jogged around to the other side of the large crate. Standing directly across from Ukitake-Taicho, I nodded once more towards him. "I'm ready, Taicho!"

"Let's do our best!"


	50. Chapter Forty-Nine

• • •

Deep violet tinted eyes stared straight ahead, reflecting the strong resolve that the owner had developed just hours ago. Kuchiki Rukia was being led towards her own execution. Noon was quickly approaching; the sun was almost directly overhead.

While being led across a large bridge, Rukia gasped and halted in her steps. Even with her senses being destroyed from being locked in the Senzaikyu for a week or two, the violet eyed woman was still able to sense a very familiar reiatsu fade away.

"…Ren…ji…?"

Her knees quivered, violet eyes widening even more in desperation. Before she knew what she was doing, Rukia had run towards the edge of the bridge, overlooking the scenery below. She had been sure that reiatsu had belonged to Renji… She was certain.

"Why! Why would you?!" The small woman screeched, the guards quickly placing their larger hands on her petite shoulders to hold her still. "Renji!"

Abruptly, they all froze. Another reiatsu could be felt, heading straight towards them. Footsteps echoed; whoever it was, they were walking across the bridge towards them. Rukia slowly turned her head, her wide eyes seemingly growing even wider as they landed on the silver haired, squinty eyed Taicho. Drops of sweat accumulated across her brow as he walked even closer, that sly smile stretching across his lips even further.

"Good mornin'. How are ya feelin', Rukia-Chan?" Ichimaru questioned, his eyes still squinted shut as his hands were hidden in his long black sleeves.

Suppressing a shudder, Rukia angled her head towards him. "Ichimaru…Gin..!"

If possible, the grin stretched even more. "Oh no; ya got a naughty mouth as always. Not Gin… Ichi-maru-Tai-cho." The sly man enunciated, feet gliding across the rest of the bridge until he was standing in front of Rukia. "If you keep doin' that yer Onii-San will scold ya."

"Please forgive my rudeness, Ichimaru…Taicho." The dark haired woman meekly apologized. It didn't take a genius to tell that she felt uncomfortable.

"Ah? Ya took me seriously?" He questioned, "Couldn't ya tell? Don't worry about it. I'm ya buddy."

Violet eyes blinked, intensely studying the Taicho. "Why? Ichimaru-Taicho, why…did you come here?"

"Ah. No big reason." Ichimaru drawled, swishing his sleeves around a bit. "Just takin' a walk. And ta do a bit o' teasin'."

Rukia said nothing, just continued to stare at the man in front of her. It took all she had not to try and run away; her muscles were rigid, sweat still forming at her brow. It was like being around poison… Rukia could almost feel snakes withering around her, coiling around her neck and holding her firmly in place.

"What's wrong? Just suddenly spacin' out?" Ichimaru noted, smirking down at the dark haired prisoner.

"Nothing…"

"Oh, I see…" He smirked, then tilted his head in another direction. "Seems like Abarai-Kun ain't dead. But… at this rate, he'll die soon."

Rukia gasped, turning her body in the direction where she was sure she had felt his reiatsu fade away.

"Poor Abarai-Kun. He just wants 'ta save Rukia-Chan." Ichimaru observed, his voice light and airy.

"No way..!" The dark haired woman argued, turning to once more gaze at the snake-like man. "Don't sound so sure! Why would Renji do that for me?!"

Ichimaru smiled, angling his head down towards Rukia. "Fear?"

"Wh-what?"

"Abarai-Kun and the others don't want ya 'ta die, right?" He asked. "They're afraid of ya suddenly dyin'."

Rukia blinked, her throat tightening. She couldn't form words; it was like her brain had stopped working.

"Shall I save you?"

Eyes widening once more, Rukia gasped as her gaze fell on the tall, silver haired Taicho. Had he really just offered to save her? Apparently so, because the guards began freaking out and questioning his motive.

"Well, if I feel like it I can quickly save ya now. You and… Abarai-Kun and the others."

Was he crazy? Thin, dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What did he have to gain from saving her and all of the others? He couldn't possibly do it, could he?

Would he..?

Before she could blink, Ichimaru face was inches from her own. His hand lightly rested against her dark hair, softly caressing the locks once before freezing. "I kid."

The smirk grew even wider at the horrified look on her face, his hand slowly falling from the top of her head, gently sliding down the side of her face before he turned and walked away. "Bye bye, Rukia-Chan! We'll next meet at the Sokyoku!"

As soon as his form vanished from view, Rukia's eyes widened in disbelief as she fell to her knees. Her breath left in gasps; it felt as if a rubber band had tightened around her chest.

Rukia had given up all hope; lost all reason to live.

She had tossed all of her hesitations away; she had no fear of dying.

It had been shaken!

Ichimaru had shaken her resolve!

He had flashed her with something that looked like hope…it was so easy to make her desire to live!

Rukia's resolution had crumbled, lying on the floor in pieces too small to piece together again. She didn't have the time to gather herself… the guards were already trying to get her to move once more.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

• • •

Hours passed by, the sun quickly moving to hover directly above all of Seireitei. A huge wave of reiatsu spiked, rolling over and traveling across the entire city to let all know that the Sokyoku had finally been released.

Sentaro gasped, running towards the open window that was directly across from Ukitake's office. The Taicho and Junko hadn't come out yet; not even a sound could be heard from behind the office doors.

"This is bad, Kiyone!" Sentaro yelled, tearing his gaze away from the window. Sokyoku's reiatsu could easily still be felt, even when they were miles away from Sokyoku Hill. "The execution has already started! Are Taicho and Junko done yet?!"

Kiyone, whipping her head towards her fellow Third Seat, scowled at him as a vein pulsed on the side of her forehead. "Don't yell! I can hear you even if you don't! So don't scream for no reason, you smelly armpit, receding hairline, whisker monkey!"

However, the short haired Third Seat turned towards the door and cupped her hand around her mouth. "TAICHO!"

"You're yelling, too…" Sentaro observed, crossing his arms and glaring.

"Taicho, Junko..! Are you two ready yet?! Kuchiki-San's execution has already started! If we don't hurry-"

At that moment, the door slid open smoke billowing out of the room.

"Taicho..? Junko..?" Kiyone questioned, her gloved hand still in the air from when she was pounding on the door. Her eyes widened as Ukitake took a step closer to the door, standing in the doorway.

Panting slightly from exhaustion, Ukitake smiled. "We're sorry to make you wait this long… It took longer than expected for us to remove the seal. But this should do it..! Since appealing to the Central Government didn't work, this is the only way…"

Junko pushed the doors farther open, tiredly grinning up at Kiyone and Sentaro and lazily waving. "Come on, guys. Let's go save Rukia! She's counting on us!"

"Yes, let's go destroy the Sokyoku!" Ukitake-Taicho announced, his deep brown eyes hardening in determination as his grip on the large shield and staff tightened.

"Yes, sir!" All three subordinates announced, each of their eyes burning with the same degree of determination.

They were going to save Rukia.

They wouldn't let anything get in their way.

After all, Rukia was a part of their Division.

Ukitake was going to make sure he wasn't going to lose any other member of his Division. No, not again.

• • •

"…All right," The Sotaicho barked, raising his cane down as the visible reiatsu behind him around the Sokyoku continued to grow. "As you requested, by tomorrow morning, they Ryoka will be sent back safely."

"Really?" Rukia questioned, her violet eyes softening. "I'm very grateful."

The dark haired girl bowed her head, deep violet eyes closing as she stood on the platform where her execution was about to take place. She had found her resolve in her older brother; he hadn't even once looked her way.

"Release the seal…" Sotaicho ordered, the guards from the Kido Corps behind him moving towards the ropes that kept the large Zanpakuto tethered to the ground. "Of Sokyoku."

As the men poured their reiatsu into the ropes, each severed and quickly spun around and uncoiled from the large Zanpakuto. Once the Zanpakuto was free the ropes shot out, flying over the side of the cliff and embedding in the earth, many feet down towards the base of the cliff.

"Thank you very much, Nii-Sama." Rukia said, her eyes softening as they landed on the Sixth Division Taicho. His own eyes were closed as he stood beside the other Taicho and Fukutaicho overseeing the execution.

At her feet, three lights began shining. They formed the outlines of three separate small boxes; one directly in front of her feet and one at both of her sides. However, they weren't just lights. They were blocks that rose from the platform, hovering around her. The binds that held her arms behind her back dissolved in dark wisps and her arms were forced outwards. The boxes stuck to her wrists, with the last keeping her feet together as she rose into the air.

Rukia's ascent to the top of the wooden frame was slow, but she eventually reached the top and hung there. Bright orange flames then erupted from the base of the Sokyoku, whipping and curling around the Zanpakuto.

Before everyone's eyes, the large spear rose from the earth and turned to point at Rukia. Flames fully surrounded the Zanpakuto, seeming to grow and change shape.

A large fire phoenix formed, red beady eyes glaring down at Rukia.

"Kikou," Sotaicho announced, his wizened eyes staring up at the large phoenix. "This is the true form of the spearhead of the Sokyoku and the executioner of the grand penalty. After it pierces through the criminal's body, the grand penalty ends."

All eyes were on the giant bird, Kuchiki Byakuya's as well. The heat from the flames could be felt even by the Taicho and Fukutaicho observing from the ground. The flames created huge bursts of wind that sent hair and excess clothing fluttering.

 _"_ _I'm not scared."_ Rukia thought, eyeing the large bird. _"_ _I'm content with my life._

 _"_ _Meeting Renji and the others… Being adopted by Nii-Sama… Kaien-Dono's guidance… Jun's friendship when I thought I had no one else to turn to… Then, Ichigo's attempted rescue…_

 _No pain… No sadness… No regrets…_

 _There is nothing for my heart to linger in this world._

 _Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you._

"And goodbye." Rukia whispered, tears escaping from her eyes as she continued to stare at the crimson phoenix head on.

Kikou reared back, ready to charge.

Rukia closed her eyes, embracing her fate.

However, she felt nothing. There was no pain, nothing.

Violet eyes opened, widening once she saw a familiar head of orange colored hair before her eyes.

"Yo," Ichigo greeted, his lips curved into a smirk as he stared down at the shocked violet eyed woman.

Rukia gasped, not believing her eyes. "Ichi…Ichigo!"

He had actually managed to halt the Kikou's advance with his Zanpakuto…behind his back!

"Idiot!" Rukia yelled, eyebrows furrowing as she glared up at the strawberry. "Why did you come again?!"

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock, his jaw dropping. This clearly wasn't the reaction he was expecting. "Uh… What?!"

"You know that you can't win against Nii-Sama! You'll really get killed this time! I've already made my peace with this, so… I don't need you to rescue me!" The violet eyed woman explained. "Go back!"

Kikou roared, pushing against Ichigo's Zanpakuto before flying back a bit, ready to charge once more.

"Making space for a second attack?" Ichigo questioned, turning towards the flaming bird. "Good. Come!"

"S-Stop, Ichigo!" Rukia ordered. "Don't do it! You can't stop the Sokyoku twice in a row! You'll be blasted into pieces if you do it again! Ichigo!"

However, Ichigo didn't need to do anything.

A thick black rope was wrapped around the fire phoenix's neck, halting it in place. Everyone's eyes widened, looking around for whatever had caused the Kikou to stop.

Ukitake Jushiro and Kokawa Junko.

Flanked by both of the Third Seats of the Thirteenth Division.

• • •

Huffing, I grinned as I watched my handiwork pay off; I had thrown the large spear, which was connected to the shield Ukitake-Taicho was holding by the thick rope. I mentally cheered as I watched the spear swing around the neck of the large phoenix formed from what looked like fire, halting it in its tracks.

"Wh…What is that?" The Fukutaicho of the Second Division questioned, staring at the thick cord wrapped around the bird, forcing it to a halt. The other Fukutaicho and Taicho adverted their eyes in our direction, shock etched on their faces.

"Ukitake-Taicho..?!" Kotetsu-Fukutaicho, the Fukutaicho of the Fourth Division and Kiyone's older sister, exclaimed with wide eyes. "And…Kiyone?!"

By this time, the spear had begun its ascent back to the ground. Wedging itself into the earth, the spear stood straight up. I was about to run towards it until Kyoraku-Taicho appeared next to it, his hand placed on top of the item.

"Yo, handsome. You like to make people wait for you, don't you?" Kyoraku questioned, smiling at Ukitake as the white haired Taicho rushed towards his friend.

"Kyoraku-Taicho!" Kotetsu-Fukutaicho exclaimed, not believing that yet another Taicho decided to join the Ryoka.

Ukitake wasn't in a joking mood and cut his eyes towards his best friend. "Sorry. Breaking the seal took longer than I expected, even with Junko's help. But we can still do this just fine."

I stood back with Sentaro and Kiyone, knowing that if either Taicho wanted my help then they would have asked for it.

Soi-Fon, Taicho of the Second Division, turned to her Fukutaicho in anger. "Stop him! Those two are trying to destroy the Sokyoku!"

It was too late; Ukitake and Kyoraku had already focused their reiatsu into the Shihoin artifact. The previously black ropes were beginning to turn white, the new color quickly traveling towards the Kikou. When the white finally reached the rope bound around the fire phoenix's neck, the flames exploded and extinguished.

Right after the Kikou exploded, there was a second explosion at the execution stand. I could easily recognize the reiatsu, even if I couldn't see him; I knew it was Ichigo. He'd made it here before we did.

When the wind stopped whipping and the dust settled, I lowered my arms that I had raised in protection of the strong wind, my eyes landing on Ichigo atop the destroyed execution stand. Sure he was up high, but his bright orange locks stood out. That and the fact that he had Rukia tucked under his arm, whose white prisoner's kimono seemed to glow in the overhead sunlight.

"The arbor of Sokyoku… got destroyed!" Kotetsu-Fukutaicho gasped, eyes wide as she looked upon the destruction that the strawberry had caused.

Even Ukitake-Taicho's eyes were wide. "Junko, is he with you?"

"Ichigo!" I yelled, waving at the strawberry.

The said Substitute Shinigami blinked, looking down at me. "Jun?! When did you get here?!"

"Idiot!" I seethed, shaking my fist up at him. "I helped unseal the tool that they used to destroy the Sokyoku! What'd you do?! Destroy a wooden stand?!"

"Hey! That means that I saved Rukia! I could have easily taken that fire bird out!" Ichigo yelled down at me, his right eye twitching. "What are you doing now?! Just standing around while Renji takes out all of those other guys?!"

"Huh?" I blinked in confusion, looking around.

Sure enough, Renji had shown up and had easily taken down the Kido Corps officers that had surrounded the Zanpakuto of the Sokyoku. I hadn't even felt him show up, let alone him fighting those guys.

"Rukia!" The pineapple exclaimed in relief once he saw her safely tucked under Ichigo's arm.

I could see the relieved expression on Rukia's face, even if she was rather high up in the sky. "I'm so glad you're alive, Renji! So glad-"

"Renji!" Ichigo called, cutting the violet eyed woman off.

Rukia blinked, finding herself hanging above Ichigo's head. He had a firm grip on the sash tied around her waist and slowly rocked her back and forth.

"H-Hey, Ichigo..?!" Rukia questioned, eyes wide in disbelief. "What are you doing?!"

Renji gulped, catching on to what Ichigo had planned.

I had a small inclination, but I wasn't sure if Ichigo was really going to throw her down. I mean, after we go through all the trouble of rescuing her, he'll throw her down several feet?! If Renji can't catch her in time, then she might really get injured..!

"Wait a minute…You've got to be kidding-"

Ichigo cut Renji off, smirk tearing across his lips as he reared his leg and arm back like he was getting ready to throw a football. "Catch!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Rukia screamed as she flew through the air.

"DUMBASS!" Renji cursed, hopping back and forth to try and catch the petite ex-Shinigami that was flying towards him. He succeeded in catching her, albeit it crudely. They both hit the ground, Renji skidding across the dirt with Rukia on top of him.

"ICHIGO! YOU IDIOT!" Rukia screeched, sitting up and glaring at the strawberry. Renji sat up as well, fully agreeing with her. "SHE COULD HAVE DIED, IDIOT!"

"Go!" Ichigo ordered. "Don't just stand there! Take her away from here! That will be your job! And don't let go of her, even if you die!"

Renji nodded, taking off and running as he carried Rukia in his arms. He didn't look like he was in the best shape, if those bandages wrapped around him meant anything.

"Why are you standing there like an idiot?!" Soi-Fon-Taicho exclaimed, turning towards her Fukutaicho. "Go after them! That means all of you Fukutaicho!"

First, Second, and Fourth Fukutaicho's obeyed the order and began the chase after Renji and Rukia.

"Oh no, you don't." I seethed, using my Shunpo to appear between them and Renji's retreating figure. I grinned up at Ichigo, seeing his eyes widen from my speed. "Don't worry, Ichigo. I've got this one."


	51. Chapter Fifty

• • •

First, Second, and Fourth Fukutaicho's obeyed the order and began the chase after Renji and Rukia.

"Oh no, you don't." I seethed, using my Shunpo to appear between them and Renji's retreating figure. I grinned up at Ichigo, seeing his eyes widen from my speed. "Don't worry, Ichigo. I've got this one."

All three of the Fukutaicho halted, eyes widening in surprise at my speed. They hadn't seen me approach, so no wonder they were so surprised.

"Out of our way, little girl!" The Second Division Fukutaicho, Omaeda something, if I remembered correctly.

I blinked up at them all, rolling my eyes as I then crouched down into a defensive hand to hand combat position. "No can do. I can't let you guys chase after Rukia."

That seemed to anger all three of the Fukutaicho, seeing as how they all withdrew their Zanpakuto.

"Hashire, Itegumo!" Kotetsu-Fukutaicho ordered, releasing her Shikai. {Run, Frozen Cloud}

The large Second Division Fukutaicho growled, releasing his Shikai as well. "Buttsubuse, Gegetsuburi!" {Crush, Five Heads}

"Ugate, Gonryomaru!" The First Division Fukutaicho commanded, releasing his Zanpakuto into Shikai as well. {Pierce, Solemn Spirit}

Lowly whistling, I giggled a bit. "Three Fukutaicho all with their Zanpakuto released going after me? I feel honored!"

"Stop fooling around and release your Zanpakuto! We'll kill you either way and then go after that criminal!" Omaeda-Fukutaicho ordered, trying to look threatening by spinning the large spikey-ball on a chain that was the released form of his Zanpakuto.

 _"_ _Listen to him and release me already, Junko!"_ Ankoku-Tatsu's voice commanded echoing throughout my ears.

My eyes narrowed; I knew that she'd be mad at me for this later, but I had to refuse her order. I couldn't release her here. It was still too close to noon. During noon the sun was directly overhead and there were hardly any shadows to work with. It'd be much too difficult to release Anko here and now. I didn't even know if I'd have enough shadows to work with to stop them in their tracks. But, I could take them down without releasing my Zanpakuto. This way would be much more fun: hand to hand versus Shikai.

I smirked up at the Fukutaicho's, scoffing a bit. "No thanks; my released Zanpakuto is only for people stronger than the likes of you."

"Why you-" The Second Division member began, running towards me with the spiked ball in his hands.

Biting my lip in concentration, I tried to focus on my reiatsu.

I knew now wasn't probably the best time for experimental attacks, but it was probably the only ace up my sleeve in a time like this.

No, I wasn't using my Quincy bow; that charm was now on a necklace around my neck considering that the bracelet was broken when Sentaro found it attached to the same silk pillow my Zanpakuto had been tied to. No, this was something that I had been trying to do on my own whenever I had spare time to train.

My hand was soon enveloped in a bright red reiatsu, not that anyone else could see it besides myself. If Anko couldn't see it while I was training, then I doubt anyone else would be able to either. I'm guessing that it more like me mentally seeing my own reiatsu focusing around my hand, but that's probably my only guess. If I couldn't see it like I could, then I wouldn't have been able to even train with this attack.

As Omaeda-Fukutaicho drew closer, I dunked and struck my left hand out, slamming it into his gut.

"Ooof!"

With a muted thud, the large Fukutaicho hit the ground, half of his Zanpakuto crushed. Probably most of his internal organs were smashed as well.

I found out that I could use the power of my reiatsu to dramatically increase the destructive force behind my hand to hand combat skills. Sometimes it was still iffy, considering that you have to have the correct balance of reiatsu at the moment of impact. If you had too much, the attack failed. If you had too little reiatsu focused, then it would pretty much be ineffective. The trick was to find the balance between both. And not only that, but you also had to release the power in the reiatsu the same moment the impact was made, so timing was also crucial.

The First Division Fukutaicho, whose name still escapes me, charged at me from behind. I could sense his attack, so I hastily turned around and used my left hand to punch the ground while I still had a good deal of reiatsu still surrounding my hand. The impact rocked the ground, splitting it open like a fault line. The Fukutaicho lost his footing, causing him to fall.

My sandal clad foot stomped on his hand, causing him to release the grip he had on his released Zanpakuto. With a swift kick, the Zanpakuto was now across the field.

He charged toward me barehanded one he regained his footing, probably thinking that my first few strikes were just flukes; after all, I was small so I couldn't possibly cause that much damage, could I?

I crudely caught his right wrist when he aimed a punch at my face, while I used my left to land a punch to his gut, in a similar fashion to the one that I had used on Omaeda-Fukutaicho.

"Damn," I cursed, realizing that I didn't time the landing correctly so my attack didn't work. The Fukutaicho stared down at me, his lips twitching into a smirk. I smirked as well, thrusting my leg up and kicking him under the chin and forcing his head back.

He hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.

When his body actually connected with the ground, I turned my attention towards the last standing Fukutaicho: Kotetsu's older sister. The woman was much taller than I was, closer to the height of the rest of the guys I was used to being around. However, her height didn't make her look tough; it actually made her seem even more meek and frail.

"Kotetsu-Fukutaicho," I began, my head tilting up so I could meet her eyes. I could see the uncertainty shining in them. "I don't want to fight you. I know you're more adept at healing rather than fighting. So, please, stand down."

The gray haired woman blinked, looking like a scared doe. Her eyes darted away from my own for a moment, looking over at the collection of Taicho's that were still standing around. Determination filled her eyes as they landed on Unohana-Taicho, making her shake her head and raise her released Zanpakuto into an offensive stance. "Sorry, but I can't do that. My orders were to follow Abarai and get Kuchiki."

"I guess you leave me no choice." I sighed, craning my neck to the side and letting it pop once. I rotated my shoulders, lowering myself into a purely defensive hand to hand stance.

However, she didn't expect for me to disappear right before her eyes by using Shunpo. That meant that she was caught completely off guard when I appeared behind her, where she was full of openings. Since she was the Fukutaicho of the Fourth Division, and Kotetsu-San-Seki's sister, I decided to be generous and only hit one of the pressure points on her back to knock her down. It probably wouldn't last long, but hopefully we'd be gone before she regained consciousness.

I felt a familiar reiatsu behind me, targeting me.

Without even looking at the fist aimed at my back, I easily dodged and caught their wrist. "Nice try, Ichigo."

The carrot-top only laughed a bit when I released his wrist. "So, it wasn't a fluke. You have gotten stronger."

"Of course I did!" I huffed, mock glaring up at him as I placed my hands on my hips. "What did you think? That'd I'd be some damsel in distress and get stuck in jail?"

I chuckled at the irony of my own words; what Ichigo didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Hopefully he'd never figure out that I got stuck in jail and had to rely on my Taicho to get me out.

"No, I just don't know what to expect from you." Ichigo truthfully replied, looking down at me with his big cinnamon shaded eyes. "I know you've gotten hurt; I can see the bandages wrapped around your arms and the one on your cheek."

"I-It was nothing." I stuttered a bit, feeling my cheeks warming up when one of his large hands rose and traced the bandage that was on my right cheek. "Especially compared to what you've been though."

My eyes narrowed up at him, catching him off guard as I rose up and smacked the back of his orange head. "You had me worried! Do you know how many times I felt your reiatsu burst?! How many close called fights were you in?!"

The strawberry heartily laughed, grinning down at me. "They were nothing, much. I got stronger with each fight. But, it's not over yet."

Ichigo's cinnamon eyes flashed, looking over towards the Taicho's. Before my eyes, the strawberry's sword was drawn and clashed against Kuchiki-Taicho's much thinner Zanpakuto.

"I told you: I can see your every step, Kuchiki Byakuya!" Ichigo announced, smirking at the dark haired Sixth Division Taicho.

"Why?" Kuchiki-Taicho asked, startling both of us. "Why do you…so persistently…try to save Rukia?"

Cinnamon eyes narrowed at the question. "…I'm the one who should be asking questions. Aren't you Rukia's older brother?! Why aren't you trying to help Rukia at all?!"

"What a pointless question..!" Kuchiki lightly scoffed, as he adverted his deep gray gaze away from Ichigo for a moment. "Even if it tell you the answer to that question… You wouldn't be able to understand. It is useless to continue this empty dialogue. Here I come."

Both of the men charged towards each other, metal clashing against metal. They both were forced back because of their equal strength.

Kuchiki's cold gray eyes narrowed. "It looks like there's only one way to end this. Kurosaki Ichigo, I will kill you. Then, with my own hands, I will carry out Rukia's execution."

I gasped at his words, not realizing that he was actually that cold hearted. Would he really kill Rukia himself? Even if he was a Taicho… He couldn't possibly be expected to do that just because he was a Taicho. No, this had to be personal.

"No, that's not going to happen." Ichigo stated, bringing up his left hand to untie the cape that still draped around him. "I came here to make sure of that."

At that moment, the wind kicked up and made the fabric of the cape billow as he ripped it off of him. I gaped at his transformation; half of his Shihakusho top was missing, although most of his flesh was covered by bandages wrapped all around him. Most of the left side of the top was missing, but he had a black strap tightly crisscrossing down his arm.

His muscles looked way more defined than they were before, I noted with a gulp.

"Jun," Ichigo began, looking behind at me and meeting my gaze. "Steer clear of this area for a while. This is my fight. You can try and catch up with Renji and Rukia. They'll probably need the help."

"Alright, I got it." I nodded, sighing. I had really wanted to see him in battle myself; he seemed so much stronger than he had before. All of those battles must have helped him out.

Ichigo tossed the cape at me, smirking before he turned towards the Taicho. "I mean it, Jun. No sneaking around to try and watch."

Chuckling, I shook my head and began walking towards the base of the cliff. "I get it, I get it! I'm going now! You better focus on the fight!"

"I will," The strawberry promised, not even looking behind him to see me walk away. It didn't bother me; I knew he was a fighter. If anyone could defeat Kuchiki-Taicho, it'd be him.

Running back towards the others, I saw that another commotion was in full swing. I could hear yells and harsh words, but I didn't know who they were coming from.

"Soi-Fon!"

Wait, I easily recognized that voice! That was Ukitake's yell; it was rare that he would raise his voice, but you would remember it when he did. And if he was yelling, then I knew something had to have been going on. I paced myself to run faster, towards the figures near the edge of the cliff.

The closer I got, the more I could figure out what was going on. Ukitake and Kyoraku's reiatsu felt faint; they were no longer near the hill anymore. Soi-Fon looked like she was stepping on someone, there was also another body lying on the ground not too far away from them.

I was close, almost close enough, when a familiar reiatsu approached and Soi-Fon vanished off the side of the cliff.

"That had to be…Yoruichi…" I mumbled, halting and looking over in the direction the two had disappeared in. It had been years since I had felt her reiatsu like that, but I was sure that it was her.

My gaze drifted back around me, noting that even the Sotaicho was gone now. In the back of my mind, I think it registered that he probably chased after Ukitake and Kyoraku, not Renji and Rukia; or at least, that's what I had hoped. Then I noticed Sentaro-San-Seki and Kiyone-San-Seki on the ground. Gasping, I began running towards them to see if I could help them in anyway.

Sentaro looked knocked out; his injuries didn't look severe at all. It was Kiyone that had me worrying. She was wheezing and gasping for breath, even though she had lost consciousness. Soi-Fon-Taicho must have broken a couple of her ribs…and there could have been the possibility of one of those broken ribs puncturing a lung. Although, that would probably be one of the worst case scenarios.

Needless to say, I hoped that it wasn't a worst case scenario.

I wouldn't be able to do much if it was, in any case.

But I couldn't just stand around and do nothing. I had to help somehow. I couldn't help but feel like it was partly my fault; she was probably worried about her sister, seeing as how all of the Fukutaicho had rushed after Renji and Rukia escaping.

Wordlessly, I sat down next to her. In my mind, I started going over the words to the only healing Kido that I knew, hoping that it would be enough to help her until real aid could come. When my hands began glowing a bright green I sighed in relief, immediately placing my hands over her lungs and broken ribs.

Kiyone-San-Seki's reiatsu wasn't too depleted, so I was easily able to restore and stabilize her reiatsu before I began to heal her injuries. I didn't have any medical training, so I wasn't sure what was going on inside; I had only healed external injuries. Internal injuries were on a completely different level. So, I closed my eyes and tried as best as I could to focus on her internal injuries.

"I'm pretty sure she has a least a couple of broken ribs…" I muttered to myself, forcing my closed eyes to close even more.

"You are correct, Kokawa-San."

I gasped, jumping from the sudden sound of my name. "U-Unohana-Taicho..!"

The Fourth Division Taicho tentatively smiled at me, her long black braid swinging a bit in the wind. Her deep blue eyes left my own icy ones, landing on the injured Third Seat in front of me. "Thank you for trying to help heal Kotetsu-San-Seki. I will take it from here."

"Of course," I weakly muttered, feeling my eyes widen once they landed on the huge light green colored…monster next to her. As if she wasn't frightening enough…

"Minazuki," Unohana-Taicho chirped, turning towards the monster and smiling at it. "If you would, please."

The…thing's… one eye blinked, and I swear it looked like it nodded it's head. The manta-ray like creature wobbled forward; it actually had bird like legs hidden under itself. Its tongue shot out of its mouth, wrapping fully around Kiyone and swallowing her whole.

"W-Wait..!" I exclaimed, rising to my feet and holding a hand out. I wasn't sure what I could do; I didn't want to go in after her.

"Do not worry, Kokawa." Unohana smiled down at me, raising a hand to rest on the giant green monster. "Minazuki is my Zanpakuto. All of the Fukutaicho that you fought are also inside of Minazuki's stomach, healing."

Her words were true enough, only Kotetsu-Fukutaicho was on top of Unohana's Zanpakuto creature. Maybe it was because she was the least injured… I went the easiest on her.

"Thank you for your attempt to help heal the injured." The Fourth Division Taicho smiled down at me once more, causing me to shiver. "I have my hands full right now with the injured, but I hope you will be gone when I come back. I know you didn't wish to fight Isane, so I will respect your wishes and not fight you as well."

"Ah…Um, thank you." I hedged, slightly bowing to the Taicho as she crawled up on top of her Zanpakuto spirit.

Unohana smiled down at me once more, before petting the large manta-ray on the head. That seemed to be some sort of signal, because the creature's wings spread out and it took off in the air.

A wave of Ichigo's reiatsu washed over me, alerting me to his still ongoing fight with Kuchiki-Taicho. I could sense the Taicho's reiatsu as well. Ichigo was lucky that they seemed to be pretty much on equal footing.

Reiatsu was flaring at almost every corner of the Soul Society; I could feel so many different forces clashing. However, I didn't sense Renji's reiatsu flare, so they both must still be safe…but you can never be too sure.

I folded the cape that Ichigo had handed me, tucking it under my arm as I began running towards the base of the Sokyoku Hill.

"Renji and Rukia would have had to have come this way…" I muttered to myself as I forced my legs to run faster. I didn't want to Shunpo, because I wasn't exactly sure where I was going and I wanted to save as much of my reiatsu as I could in case something else happened. "Ah? Dead trees?"

We definitely didn't come this way the first time… I didn't remember seeing this forest of dead looking trees on our way to Sokyoku Hill. Well, that might have been because I was too focused on the part that I had to play. And I was trying to match Ukitake-Taicho's speed because we both held part of Yoruichi's family's artifact…

"Jun-Kun~!"


	52. Chapter Fifty-One

• • •

"Yachiru-!" I exclaimed, almost falling over as a pink blur tackled me. I was able to keep my balance, though, and returned her hug. "Yachiru! It is you!"

"Of course it's me, Jun-Kun!" The pink haired Fukutaicho of the Eleventh Division giggled, tightening her hold on me once more. "You've been gone for so long, though! You missed several meetings and sweet raids!"

I laughed, squeezing her even harder for a second before releasing her and kneeling down so that we were close to eye level. "I know, and I'm sorry. I didn't think I'd be gone that long. Some unexpected things came up; I'm sure you're aware of all of it by now…"

"Yep!" Yachiru nodded, beaming at me. "Jun-Kun helped the Ryoka break into the Seireitei, and Jun-Kun even took out many Shinigami along the way. Jun-Kun wanted to save Ruki-Ruki, right?"

"Yeah," I grinned. "Rukia's my best friend; I couldn't let her die, right?"

"Right!" The small girl energetically nodded. "And Jun-Kun knows Ichi, right?"

"Ichi?" I questioned, feeling my eyebrows scrunch up at the name. "Do you mean Ichigo? The guy with the bright orange hair?"

"Yeah!"

Laughing, I nodded my head. "Yep! Ichigo's helping save Rukia, too. Although, I'm sure you already knew that. Didn't Ichigo fight Kenpachi not too long ago?"

"Ichi made Ken-Chan so happy!" Yachiru grinned, her dark pink colored eyes shining in happiness. I had long noted that if Kenpachi was happy, then Yachiru was, too.

I grinned down at her, "I'll have to thank Kenpachi someday for not killing Ichigo."

"Ah! That reminds me! We felt your reiatsu during Ichi's fight! Ken-Chan wanted to go after Jun-Kun, and then Ichi got really strong and kept on fighting Ken-Chan. But Jun-Kun, you didn't tell me that you were that strong!"

"Ehehe," I sheepishly laughed, bringing up a hand to scratch the back of my head, trying not to mess my ponytail up in the process. "Well, it was kind of a secret. I mean, I can't do that all the time."

"But Jun-Kun has to fight Ken-Chan sometime! Ken-Chan would be so happy!"

"I'll think about it, okay Yachiru?" I hesitantly questioned, wondering if there was any way I could get out of this fight. I doubt Kenpachi realized that the burst of reiatsu belonged to me. He probably only felt an unfamiliar spike of reiatsu and wanted to fight whoever it belonged to.

And I really didn't want to go against Kenpachi.

"Ichi's fighting Byakushi, isn't he?" The small pink haired girl questioned, staring off deep into the dead forest.

Nodding, I could feel the smirk tugging at my lips. Both of them were still going at it; their reiatsu still felt so strong. "Yeah, that's Ichigo and Kuchiki-Taicho."

"What about Ruki-Ruki?"

"Hm?" I hummed, tearing my gaze away from the heart of the dead forest to meet Yachiru's questioning gaze. "We managed to save Rukia. Renji ran off with her, and Ichigo wanted me to follow after them, but I have no clue where he ran to."

"Then sit with me! We can wait until Ichi's fight is over!"

Yachiru tugged on my hand, jumping up and forcing me to jump with her. We landed on one of the larger branches of one of the dead trees that lined the forest.

"Ichigo's really giving Kuchiki-Taicho a run for his money," I sighed, closing my eyes as I felt the spiritual pressures continuing to clash against each other. "He's not giving Kuchiki a chance to relax."

The Eleventh Division Fukutaicho giggled, "Jun-Kun really likes Ichi!"

"Ichigo and I are friends!" I hurriedly exclaimed, feeling my face heat up. "And nothing more!"

"Sure, sure." Yachiru sang, grinning slyly up at me. "I know that Jun-Kun likes Ichi! Jun-Kun doesn't need to lie to me!"

"S-Stop it, Yachiru!" I whined, adverting my face away from her as I felt my face continue to heat up. Was it really that obvious if even Yachiru could figure something like that out? And Yachiru had never seen how I acted around Ichigo! She had to be jumping to conclusions…

"We're here…the top…"

"Are they on the other side of this dead forest?"

"I don't see anybody, though."

"I think I know…" The familiar voice paused, "No matter how strong the reiatsu becomes, the scent will stay the same. That is definitely Kurosaki-Kun."

"Weird," The first voice mumbled, the low tone also sounding familiar to my ears. "Kuchiki's reiatsu is absent. Did she get executed already?"

I grinned, leaning away from Yachiru to look down below us. No wonder those voices sounded so familiar… it was Chad, Ganju, Ishida, and Orihime! And, well…someone else that I didn't recognize, but that didn't matter. Everyone was safe and seemed unharmed. That was the important thing.

"Rukia's already been saved." I explained, grinning down at them once they gasped and turned towards the sound of my voice.

Orihime beamed, smiling up at us. "Jun-Chan! Yachiru-Chan!"

"If Kuchiki already got away…Why is Ichigo still fighting?" Chad asked, craning his head so he could stare at us.

However, Ishida answered his question. "It's not so simple. These people will try to go after Kuchiki-San again. In order to really help Kuchiki-San, all the threats must be eliminated. Their resolve to execute Kuchiki-San must be crushed. That's why Kurosaki is fighting! And probably putting his life on the line for it."

"You-You're all crazy, aren't you?!" The man I didn't know exclaimed, warily looking between all of us. "Who is Kuchiki Rukia to you people? Isn't she just a friend? Is it really necessary to go this far…just for a friend?"

"Of course it is!" I exclaimed, glaring down at the man and watching him cower back in fear. "Rukia means more to us than what you think. We'd easily put our lives on the line for her; I know that I would! She's more than a friend to me… Rukia's like a sister! She's the one of the only people left that I consider family!"

"…To Kurosaki-Kun, Kuchiki-San is a very important person." Orihime explained, turning to look at the man that accompanied them.

"Inoue-San…" Ishida murmured, turning to stare at the auburn haired woman beside him. However, her eyes shown in determination and didn't so any signs of weakness.

"Because Kuchiki-San is… the person who changed his world."

Burst of reiatsu could still be felt; it seemed as if Ichigo and Kuchiki-Taicho weren't going to be easing up anytime soon. It's not like I would expect them to, based on the words that had exchanged previously.

A huge blast of spiritual pressure rushed by us, creating a huge gust of wind that whipped through the dead trees. It caught all of us off guard, even sending Yachiru flying out of the tree we were sitting in. I managed to dig my nails into the trunk of the tree, holding onto it so I wouldn't fly off like she did. The pink haired Fukutaicho landed on her feet; although her feet didn't hit the ground, they landed on Ganju's head.

Laughing, Yachiru darted off.

Another flash and gust of wind blew through the trees once more, however we were more prepared for it than we had been before.

"What is this!? What's happening?!" Ganju questioned.

I threw my head back, laughing. "This is the reiatsu from Ichigo's and Kuchiki-Taicho's fight! Man, what I wouldn't give to be there, watching it."

"Maybe we should move away from here, Inoue-San." Ishida brought up, turning towards the auburn haired princess. Orihime was crouched down, her arms clutched across her chest to stop her trembling. "Even if we stay here, we can't really do anything…"

"Thank you, Ishida-Kun." Orihime breathed out. "But, I agree with Jun-Chan. I'm sorry, but I want to stay here as well."

Reiatsu continued to flare, lighting up the area and sending gusts of wind in our direction. If anything, they seemed to be occurring more frequently and they seemed to last longer, too.

"Come on, Ichigo. Win!" I whispered, closing my eyes and trying to visualize what could be going on in the fight. In my mind, I could hear metal clanging against metal; I only hoped that sound was actually occurring. Metal against metal is better than metal against flesh.

I could feel Ishida's gaze on me, probably trying to analyze me.

But that didn't stop my hand from curling into a fist, my eyes opening and shining in determination. "You better win, Ichigo."

• • •

The battle seemed to drag on and on.

It felt like time was moving way too slowly, especially with us all just standing at the edge of the dead forest. Nobody dared to move forward, especially with those blasts of reiatsu flaring every few seconds.

Another blast flashed through the area, this one seeming to flash both white and black; cherry blossoms being blown towards us in the wind.

"Aren't cherry blossoms out of season?" Ishida asked, moving his glasses up as he stared at the petals raining down.

Blinking, I held my hand out and waited until a petal landed on it. I slowly grinned, recognizing what it actually was. "No, these aren't real cherry blossom petals. They're small pieces of metal. It's from Kuchiki-Taicho's Zanpakuto."

"From his Zanpakuto?" Orihime questioned, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Yeah, from the rumors I've heard, Kuchiki-Taicho's Zanpakuto splits into thousands of small fragments. Each of these fragments looks like cherry blossom petals. Somehow, he's able to control them and use them in his fights. I've never witnessed this, but from what I've heard, it seems to be true." I grinned, rubbing my fingers across the surface of the petal, being sure not to cut myself on the sharp edges. "And if these wound up here instead of being used in the fight, then that must mean that Ichigo's winning."

"Really?!" Orihime breathed, visibly relaxing. "Thank goodness!"

Grinning, I closed my eyes and focused on the reiatsu that still lingered. "And everything seems quiet now; but Ichigo's reiatsu seems stronger than Kuchiki-Taicho's reiatsu. I think… I really think that Ichigo's won..!"

Orihime grabbed my hand, hurriedly tugging me closer towards the dead trees. "Let's go! Kurosaki-Kun might need our help!"

"I-Inoue-San! Kokawa-San!" Ishida blubbered, running after us as well. "It's not smart to rush in! We don't really know if Kurosaki's fight's over! Those blasts could start up again anytime!"

"Oh, have some faith, Ishida!" I chastised, rolling my eyes as I continued to lead Orihime forward. "I can feel it; Ichigo's won. You don't have to worry about anything."

I glanced behind me, seeing not only Ishida, but everyone else following me and Orihime as well. It made me kind of proud, knowing that we'd made it through this. Rukia was unharmed, we were pretty much all healed up, and Ichigo had just defeated one of the stronger Taicho's that the Soul Society could throw at him.

We had won, and they had lost.

In my giddiness, I only faintly recognized that I was literally dragging Orihime behind me. I was so excited; I was running faster than they could keep up with. Mumbling an apology, I slowed down a bit, sheepishly grinning at Orihime to get her to forgive me.

No words needed to be exchanged; Orihime knew I was just excited to see the outcome of the fight, to see Ichigo after his victory.

"I WON~!"

Laughing, I released Orihime's hand, watching as she scampered behind Ichigo as he wobbled. He'd probably lost a lot of blood judging from his injuries, and his reiatsu was probably stretched to its limit during that fight. I don't blame him for wobbling and falling.

Although it didn't stop me from laughing when he bonked heads with Orihime. I knew she had a really hard head, so Ichigo was probably in even more pain. It was evident when he sunk to the ground and held his head.

"S-S-Sorry, Kurosaki-Kun!" Orihime flustered out, wildly waving her arms all around her. "Are you okay?! My head is hard as a rock, I'm sorry! I was trying to catch you, but…"

The strawberry blinked, raising his head as he looked at her. "Inoue?" Then his cinnamon colored eyes traveled over to me, lighting up a bit more than usual. "Jun?!"

"I know you told me to chase after Renji and Rukia, but I ran into these guys instead." I laughed, ginning down at Ichigo. "Besides, you know I never listen to what you tell me to do."

"Don't I know it." The orange haired Substitute Shinigami scoffed, rolling his warm cinnamon eyes. "But I'm glad everyone's okay. Everyone's here… Chad, Ishida, Ganju…Wait, who's that?"

Blinking, I shrugged my shoulders as the strawberry turned to me. "Beats me. I never got his name either."

Both of us turned towards the other Shinigami, staring at him expectantly.

"Uh… I'm no one important. Just pretend I'm not here." The mustached man blankly replied, his face devoid of any emotion. Ichigo and I shared a look, then shrugged at the same time. If this man said to pretend he wasn't here, then we were going to pretend he wasn't there.

Ichigo let a sigh of relief fall from his parted lips as his eyes skimmed over all of us. "Everyone is unhurt… That's good."

"We're not 'unhurt' per se." Ishida drawled, his lips twitching up into a small smile. "But compared to you, our injuries are nothing worth mentioning."

"And Inoue, are you hurt?" Ichigo asked, looking over her quickly and not seeing any bandages on her anywhere.

Of course, the auburn haired woman spazzed. "Huh? Me? No, I'm completely fine! Even though I'm completely useless, Ishida-Kun and Shinigami-San over there protected me! And Zaraki-San carried me! So I was never put in any danger at all. But… But I was just so worried about Kurosaki-Kun…" And the waterworks emerged. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-Kun… I wasn't able to help you. Thank you, Kurosaki-Kun…for staying alive. I'm so glad…that Kurosaki-Kun is okay…"

Ichigo's eyes softened, noticing the tears pooling in her brown eyes as her hands clenched onto the hakama pants she was wearing. He noticed how she adverted his gaze, wiping at her face. "…Thanks, Inoue…"

• • •

Orihime wasted no time in healing Ichigo's wounds; she was getting even better at controlling her Shun Shun Rikka. This time, Orihime was able to quickly heal most of his major wounds. But Ichigo wanted to quickly head out and try to find Renji and Rukia. Due to the fact that he was still slightly injured, his pride too high to allow Orihime to waste any more time trying to heal him, Ichigo had an arm slung over Ganju because he was the closest one to his height.

I also had noticed that his Shihakusho and Zanpakuto were different.

He must have reached Bankai. That was the only explanation.

As we were aimlessly walking around and searching for Renji and Rukia, a strange noise sounded in my ears causing me to stop. Bringing a hand up to my head, I lightly hit my ears to stop the distracting noise. However, I wasn't the only one to hear it.

 ** _"_** ** _Taicho's, Fukutaicho's, and temporary Fukutaicho's of the Gotei Thirteen…and…the Ryoka, this is Kotetsu Isane, Fukutaicho of the Fourth Division, speaking."_**

Most of the others in our group paused as well.

 ** _"_** ** _Can everyone hear me? An emergency situation has occurred. This emergency transmission is under the authority of Unohana Retsu, Taicho of the Fourth Division, and myself, Kotetsu Isane. Please listen carefully. Everything I am about to say…Is all true."_**

I waited, my eyes widening as Kotetsu-Fukutaicho's voice conveyed all the information that she knew.

Aizen-Taicho was actually alive; he was the Taicho that they had thought had been murdered by one of us.

Not only that, but Aizen-Taicho had taken down his Fukutaicho (Hinamori Momo), as well as slicing down the Tenth Division Taicho (Hitsugaya Toshiro). And Aizen wasn't alone. He had two followers: Ichimaru Gin (the Third Division Taicho) and Tousen Kaname (the Ninth Division Taicho).

Sure, it was a huge blow to lose three Taicho's, but that wasn't even the end of it. Aizen and the others had even killed all of the Central Forty-Six Government.

"What was that? Just now?" Ganju questioned, looking around for the sound of the voice.

"She said something about forty something and then something about hypnosis… What are those supposed to mean?" Ichigo questioned, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to understand what all of it meant.

Orihime blinked, tilting her head to the side as her hands rose to cup her ears. "How come I didn't hear anything?"

"That voice was from the Fourth Division, Kotetsu-Fukutaicho." I explained, my eyes still wide as I turned towards the auburn haired girl. Her cluelessness seemed to back up my thoughts… "You probably didn't come into contact with her, so her Kido didn't reach you."

Ichigo turned to look down at me, "But Taicho's killing Taicho's is their problem, right? Why'd she tell us that?"

"Think about it, Ichigo. Why would she tell us something like that?" I rolled my eyes for a second before closing them and sighing. I ran through all of the information once more, trying to analyze it and make sense of it.

"She told us because she thought we ought to know." Ishida explained, bringing a hand up to hold his chin as he also ran through the information. "We don't know much about the Soul Society, except for Kokawa-San, but this Fukutaicho might have known that Kokawa-San would be with us to help explain what's going on."

Biting my lip, I opened my eyes. "I think I know what's going on, but I don't like where my mind is telling me this is heading. I've gone over it again and again, but there only seems to be that one option…"

"What? What's going on, Jun?" Ichigo asked, his deep cinnamon gaze never once leaving mine. "What do you understand that we don't?"

"The Central Forty-Six pretty much rule over Soul Society. From what I've heard, they're the ones that decide what is wrong and what is right. They keep everything in order." I explained, trying to keep it simple for them; they didn't know anything about how the Soul Society operated. It's not like I knew that much about it, either, but I think I understood it better than they would. "And if Aizen murdered them… He would be able to control the orders that the government created. So, in all actuality, he could do anything he wanted with them out of the picture. And if that's right, then what is he after?"

Ichigo looked speechless, just staring down at me.

Shockingly, it was Ganju that got what I was hinting at. "…The execution?"

"That's right..!" Ishida gaped, his glasses glinting in my direction. "Since we got here, Kuchiki-San's execution date has been pushed forward again and again… You must have found that strange."

"Mhm," I nodded, feeling my eyebrows furrow. "Since that is odd and very out of character for the Central Forty-Six, we can probably assume that the Fifth Division Taicho, Aizen Sosuke, wants to kill Rukia."

Everyone gasped, finally clicking on to what I was thinking all along. Ichigo's eyes narrowed a bit before turning to gaze back up at Sokyoku Hill, where we could feel reiatsu resonating once again.

However, when we had left, there had been no one up there anymore.

"You feel it too, huh?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes towards Sokyoku Hill once more.

"Rukia..!"

• • •

Abarai Renji blinked, opening his eyes to frantically look around. His muscles froze when he recognized the lifeless scenery; Rukia and he were back atop Sokyoku Hill.

"Welcome, Abarai-Kun."

Gasping, the red head pineapple turned towards the sound of the familiar voice, feeling his eyes widen in disbelief. "Aizen-Taicho… It can't be… What in the hell is going on?"

"Put Kuchiki Rukia down and step away."


	53. Chapter Fifty-Two

• • •

"Welcome, Abarai-Kun."

Gasping, the red head pineapple turned towards the sound of the familiar voice, feeling his eyes widen in disbelief. "Aizen-Taicho… It can't be… What in the hell is going on?"

"Put Kuchiki Rukia down and step away."

"A-Aizen-Taicho..! How are you ali… No, more importantly, what did you just say?" Renji asked, his eyes widening once he scanned the scenery. Aizen Sosuke was very much alive, accompanied by Ichimaru Gin and Tousen Kaname.

The Fifth Division Taicho smirked, "That's strange. It's not possible that you didn't hear me. I said, put Kuchiki Rukia down and step away, Abarai-Kun."

That's when Renji received Kotetsu-Fukutaicho's message.

"I refuse."

"What?" Aizen slyly asked.

"I said I refused, Aizen-Taicho!" Renji exclaimed, his hold on Rukia tightening. The dark haired woman looked scared, her violet eyes widening as they looked back and forth between the Taicho's.

However, the smirk never left Aizen's face. "I see."

Ichimaru's hand moved towards the hilt of his Zanpakuto. Aizen, however, stopped the silver haired Taicho from drawing his sword. "It's alright, Gin."

Renji's eyes narrowed as he watched the brown haired Taicho walk towards him and Rukia. He really couldn't do much with Rukia in his arms, but he'd do all that he could.

"I know you're stubborn, Abarai-Kun. If you don't want to just leave Kuchiki Rukia and step away, then there's no choice. We'll take your feelings into consideration, as well. I understand how you must feel right now…so it's fine if you want to hold on to Kuchiki Rukia." Aizen's hand moved to the hilt of his Zanpakuto, skillfully withdrawing the blade from its sheath. "Leave your arms here and step away."

Aizen attacked, barely leaving enough time for Renji to try and dodge. Rukia was unscathed, however Renji was not. He had used his own body to shield her.

"Re…Renji..!" Rukia whimpered, violet eyes wide as she stared up at the red haired Shinigami that still held her in his arms.

The Fifth Division Taicho's eyes narrowed a bit. "Impressive. You've learned how to dodge quite well, haven't you, Abarai-Kun? You've grown so much! I'm happy for you. However, if it is possible, I wish that you wouldn't be so stubborn. It is quite difficult to control one's strength…while stepping on an ant without killing it. Being your former commanding officer, I can't bear to see you die."

"Renji..!" Rukia exclaimed, feeling his chest heave as he tried to catch his breath. Renji wasn't in the best of shape before Aizen began attacking… There was no telling how much he could withstand. And Rukia couldn't bear to see him die. Not for her sake, anyway.

"Be quiet, Rukia." The red head ordered, not even looking down at her. "You said, 'Being your former commanding officer, I can't bear to see you die.' Then why did you…kill Hinamori?!"

Aizen blinked. "Ah, so that powerful tremor of reiatsu earlier really was from Tenteikura. It was from Isane-Kun…wasn't it? As for Hinamori… I had no choice. She couldn't live without me. That was how I brainwashed her to be. Don't you think that it was charitable of me to kill her? Though, I honestly didn't want her to die by my hands. That was why I went through the trouble of getting Kira-Kun and Hitsugaya-Kun to fight her. However, that plan didn't go so well. Thus I had no choice but to do it myself."

"I see." Renji muttered, glare hardening. "So Kira and Hinamori…we're just puppets that you manipulated at will?"

"As are you, Abarai-Kun."

"I get it now." The red haired Shinigami spat. "You're not the same Aizen-Taicho that I know anymore… I don't know what your intentions are, but I won't give Rukia to you even if I die!"

Aizen chuckled. "I'm not the Aizen-Taicho that you know? Sadly, that was just an illusion, Abarai-Kun. The Aizen Sosuke that you know never existed to begin with!"

• • •

"K-Kurosaki-Kun..! Wait-!"

Ichigo didn't heed Orihime's words, throwing Ganju's arm off of him and disappearing before our eyes. I gaped at where he used to be standing; even in the condition he was in, he was able to move that fast?

"Just what does that idiot think that he can do in that state?" I growled, narrowing my gaze towards the top of Sokyoku Hill.

"Kurosaki wants to save Kuchiki-San, you know that." Ishida sighed, shaking his head at Ichigo's stubbornness. "Kokawa-San, if I know you well enough, you'll be rushing there yourself soon anyway. Even if you were injured, you'd still go. Correct?"

Chuckling, I flexed my left wrist to hear it pop before it landed on the hilt of my Zanpakuto. "You know me better than I thought, Ishida."

With that, I took off with a burst of speed.

There was no way I was going to flash step up there; no, not if I had to face Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tousen. No, I needed to save as much of my reiatsu as I could.

"Hang in there, you guys..!"

• • •

"Yo." Ichigo grinned up at Aizen, black sword crossing over his silver blade and holding it back. His cinnamon eyes flicked back to Renji, only serving to make his grin stretch further across his lips. "Why are you crouching on the ground? Is Rukia really that heavy? I've come to help, Renji!"

"Ichigo…"

"Yeah?"

"Sorry you had to come and save-"

The strawberry wouldn't hear any more of the pineapple's words, cutting him off and slyly looking at him over his shoulder. "What the..?! You look pretty beat up considering that you were only carrying Rukia around. Was the load that heavy for you to run away with?"

"Ah?! What're you implying?! Aren't you looking a little wobbly yourself?!" Renji accused, glaring at Ichigo as a vein throbbed on his forehead. "Shouldn't you be wrapped up in a bed somewhere instead of coming here?!"

"What?! Is that what you have to say to the guy who just saved your ass?!"

"Are you stupid?! I was going to thank you! But then you-"

Both of the men paused, wondering what the muffled noise they were hearing really was. They shared a look of confusion, before their eyes traveled down and landed on Rukia.

Renji's hand had been on the back of her dark head, pressing her face into his chest. And, of course, Rukia couldn't breathe with a mouthful of Shihakusho. However, the violet eyed woman was able to finally push herself off of his chest and take in gasps of air.

"Y-Yo, Rukia…" Renji stuttered, lightly patting the smaller Shinigami on her back as she coughed.

Ichigo blinked, not too sure what to do or say. "You okay?"

Rukia's answer spoke for itself; she aimed a nice punch under Renji's chin. "Fool! Were you trying to have me set a new record for holding my breath?! Pressing me against your chest with all your strength and chatting away… You nearly killed me, moron!"

However, their brief moment of conversation was cut short when Aizen began speaking to Ichimaru, gaining their attention once more.

"So he's…Aizen?" Ichigo asked, his eyes narrowing as he readied his Zanpakuto and watched the brown haired Taicho across from him.

"Yeah."

"Do you still have enough energy to run away, Renji?"

The red head scoffed, "I do, but I'm not running away."

"What…?!" Ichigo asked, flabbergasted.

"I've got a plan." Renji clasped a hand on Rukia's shoulder, gently shoving her behind them. "Zabimaru's broken form has its use! I'm going to fight! I'm sure you know, too… It's impossible to just run. I'm not saying we have to beat them, but… unless we immobilize them somehow, they'll just drag us back here without breaking a sweat."

Ichigo scoffed a bit, "Heh, fine then. Let's get this double-team started!"

Renji's hand went to the base of his broken Zanpakuto, gathering his reiatsu around him. "I can only use this technique once. But if this hits, it will definitely create an opening. Aizen-Taicho is strong…so the opening may only last for a split second. You'll have to move fast."

"Got it," Ichigo affirmed, determination filling his gaze as he readied his Zanpakuto. If this was their only chance, then he was definitely going to be ready for it.

Renji swung his broken Zanpakuto through the air, the broken edge soon colliding with the rocky ground beneath their feet. "Let's go, Zabimaru..! Higa Zekko!" {Bite of a Broken Baboon's Fang}

All around, the broken pieces of Renji's Zanpakuto begin to glow with his spirit energy and levitate in the air. Once they reached a uniform height, the broken pieces of metal circled around Aizen. With Renji's command, the pieces flew down; hopefully giving Ichigo the opening he needed.

Ichigo saw this as his only chance, so he charged towards Aizen.

As Renji's pieces pierced the ground, Ichigo swung.

Only to have Aizen block his Zanpakuto with a single finger.

Before he knew it, Ichigo had been struck down by Aizen's Zanpakuto; his wounds deep and blood splattering all over the ground.

"Oh, my!" Aizen feigned shock as he slowly released his hold on the strawberry's Zanpakuto. "I meant to completely cut off everything below the waist, but… Was my swing too shallow?"

Renji gasped, his eyes wide as he watched Ichigo fall to the ground. "H… How's that..? How's that possible?!"

Aizen vanished before Renji's eyes, appearing behind him and cutting him down as well.

"Renji! Ichigo!"

• • •

"Renji! Ichigo!" I yelled, my eyes widening in fear as I watched them both fall to the ground, as if in slow motion. I forced my legs to run faster, this time applying reiatsu so I could flash step in front of Rukia.

Rukia was just standing there, defenseless.

She had no Zanpakuto, no chance of using a kido…she was, all in all, unable to do anything.

"J-Jun..!" Rukia breathed, staring at my back as I appeared in front of her, my Zanpakuto out and gleaming silver in the sunlight. Without a glance at her, I muttered the phrase to release my Shikai.

"Kokawa Junko?" Aizen asked, his eyes scanning over me from behind the square frames of his black glasses. "You've made it here as well?"

"Of course," I spat, my eyes narrowing at the Taicho before me. Rather, he wasn't a Taicho anymore. Not after today, there's no way. "Ichigo just had to get impatient and rush ahead. He was faster than I expected; but you always have to expect the unexpected with him."

"Ah, so true." Aizen nodded, grinning down at me. "But, the same can be said about you, as well. I never would have expected for you to actually go against Kyoraku-Taicho. I didn't think it would be in your character to try and avenge one of the humans."

Darkly laughing, I felt the red ribbon on the end of my Zanpakuto wrap around my arm. "You don't know anything about me, Aizen."

"Is that really what you think?" He asked, his glasses tinting in the light for a moment. "I know more about you thank you would ever think, Kokawa Junko. You were the one that led me right towards Kuchiki Rukia. Of course, I suspected you in the beginning as well, but that didn't happen."

"What are you talking about?!" I questioned, my eyes beginning to glow red as my reiatsu levels surged. I still didn't have the limiter on my lower back, so my spiritual pressure was as high as it could go. "What do you want with Rukia?! What did she do!?"

"Nothing."

I screamed, barreling towards the ex-Taicho of the Fifth Division. I was seeing red; I could feel the blood boiling underneath my skin.

This man was bad.

He had hurt Renji. He had almost cut Ichigo in half.

And he was still targeting Rukia!

The shadows around me leapt into action, curling around the other two Taicho's as they stood by the side watching; I didn't want them interfering with this fight. Granted, I knew I wouldn't be able to kill Aizen; if Ichigo and Renji together couldn't take him down, then I didn't stand a chance.

But, I could possibly stall him for a bit longer. Long enough for all of the other Taicho's and Fukutaicho's to hurry.

Zanpakuto crashed against Zanpakuto; black against silver.

Even though we hit evenly, I unleashed my hold on the shadows and urged them to crawl around this treacherous man. Everything was his fault; it seemed as if he was behind everything! He had to be taken down!

A searing pain raced across my back, startling me.

The image of Aizen before me shattered into many pieces, light reflecting off of it just like a mirror. My shadows were still bound around the air, surrounding nothing. I could feel my reiatsu quickly fading; my shadows were vanishing like smoke.

Choking out a sob, I turned my head to see Aizen looming behind me. His Zanpakuto was covered in blood. I wasn't sure if it was Ichigo's, Renji's, or my blood. Or even a mixture of all three. I weakly feel to my knees, falling to the ground.

I was useless. I didn't stand a chance against Aizen.

We had lost; there was no one else that could protect Rukia.

From the corner of my eye, I watched Aizen make his way towards the still defenseless Rukia. She had sunk to her knees, staring at us with terrified eyes. She knew she didn't stand a chance.

"Now get up, Kuchiki Rukia."


	54. Chapter Fifty-Three

• • •

"Now get up, Kuchiki Rukia." Aizen commanded, standing beside the powerless Shinigami. Her violet eyes were wide, her face covered in a sheen of sweat, as she stared up at the man before her.

Aizen's hand reached down, gripping the red choker around her neck as he pulled her into a standing position. "Ah… I see. Your whole body became limp because of all the reiatsu around? Okay, don't worry about it. It's just easier for me if you can walk on your own…"

A rustling sound made Aizen pause, his dark brown eyes scanning over to see what was making that noise. I could faintly hear it as well, but I didn't have the strength yet to move. Ankoku-Tatsu was using all the power she had to stop the bleeding and wouldn't let me move.

"How pitiful…! You're still conscious."

Who? Who was still conscious? Was it Ichigo? Was he still alive?

"You must really hate the fact that your strength doesn't match the level of your vitality. Though it would be best to stop that recklessness. Right now your spine is the only thing holding your body together… No matter how hard you try, there is no way to stand up without destroying your body." From my narrow line of vision, I could see Aizen sheathe his Zanpakuto. "It's not a matter of spirit. It is physically impossible. Look on the bright side. You've been very helpful already, so now… Just lay there quietly until you pass on. Your mission is over."

"You…said…mission..!?"

My heart leapt to my throat at the sound of his voice.

Thank goodness; Ichigo sounded alright. Breathless and rugged, but he sounded alright.

Not listening to Ankoku-Tatsu's voice, I sat up a bit more and moved my head so I could stare fully at Aizen. I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything, but I would feel better if I knew what he was going to do rather than facing the unknown.

"Yes," Aizen answered, his eyes flickering to me for a moment and looking a bit surprised before they moved back towards Ichigo. "All along, I knew you two would come, and… I knew the point of entry. I knew that you all would appear in the Western Rukongai. Therefore, I dispatched regular patrols in the vicinity, so that the Seirei walls would be lowered immediately after you arrived. Then I sent the Third and Ninth Division to the inside of the wall…and sent Gin to keep you all out. If you thought that there was a Taicho patrolling on the other side of the door, the only perceivable method of entry would be through Shiba Kukaku's cannon. That would result in a dramatic entrance of invaders who survived a fight against a Taicho! Therefore, all of the Shinigami in the Seireitei would inevitably focus their full attention on you."

I gasped, coughing at the sudden intake of air as pain seared across my back as my lungs expanded. Wincing, I glared up at Aizen. Was he really saying that he had planned this out this extensively?

"The actual invasion was truly phenomenal. Thanks to you two, even when a Taicho was murdered…it didn't seem like that big of a deal in comparison. It was really easy to make our moves." Aizen explained, his voice sounded darker with each passing word.

Ichigo gasped and from the corner of my eyes I could see him still lying on the ground where he had been slain. "W…Wait… How… Did you know…that we would land on the Western Rukongai?"

My eyes widened at the question. There was only one way he would know about that. Wheezing, I sat up a bit more. "U-Ura-Urahara."

"Correct." Aizen's lips curled into a smirk. "There wasn't any other possibility. Urahara Kisuke's referential location was in Western Rukongai, as Kokawa Junko correctly guessed. So the only place his Senkai gate could take you…was Western Rukongai."

"What?" Ichigo questioned, gaping up at the ex-Fifth Division Taicho.

Aizen blinked, looking back and forth between Ichigo and I. "Why are you making that face? Aren't you both his subordinates? Didn't you come back here to take back Kuchiki Rukia…because Urahara Kisuke ordered you to?"

"Wh…what the hell?" The strawberry questioned, rolling a bit on his side so he could better look at Aizen.

Aizen's eyes fell on me, but I shook my head. I had no clue what he was implying; Urahara was helping us save Rukia because she meant a lot to us. It was unfair that they execute her for such a measly crime.

"I see…so you both don't know anything. That's fine… Since it's all over, I will tell you about it." The man smirked, dragging Rukia along with him as he walked a bit closer towards Ichigo. "Do you know about Shinigami's four basic forms of combat? They are zanjutsu, hakuda, hoho, and kido. All of them are similar in that they each have a limit. No matter how much innate capability you have, you can never overcome the limitation of a Shinigami's spiritual body. In other words, that is the Shinigami's limit.

"Is there no way to break that boundary? Is there no way to grow and surpass your innate limitation? There is…but there's only one way. And that is… Hollowfication of a Shinigami."

Ichigo's gasp rang throughout my ears.

"Hollow-Shinigami, Shinigami-Hollow; when the boundary between Hollow and Shinigami is removed, you can create a new existence capable of achieving new heights. This concept has existed in theory for a long time." Aizen continued to explain, taking his time to make sure that we understood. "I focused on Shinigami-Hollows, and I had successfully created several Hollows that were close to Shinigami. Hollows that could hide their reiatsu, a Hollow that could make Zanpakuto disappear…and even fuse with Shinigami… But all of them were trash and not worthy of being called breakthroughs. Other researchers are bound by stupidity and morality…so no one has ever made any sort of breakthrough either. No one, except Urahara Kisuke."

Hissing as I took in another gasp, I felt my eyes narrow.

Of course; Urahara was suspicious enough.

"He created a substance that reacts beyond the conventional physics of Soul Society… It can instantly dissolve the barrier between Hollow and Shinigami. The name of that substance is Hogyoku."

Orb of Destruction.

What a fitting name, I thought with a mental scoff.

"It is an extremely dangerous material. He probably thought so too, because he tried to destroy the Hogyoku. However, he could not find a way to destroy his own creation. So, in desperation, he did something else. That was… He put a barrier around the Hogyoku and buried it within the depths of a person's soul." Aizen explained, only to pause for a second to let all of the information sink into our minds. "Figure it out yet?"

We were all quiet, processing what he had said.

If everything was true…then Urahara had to have hidden the Hogyoku…

"In the beginning, I thought that it was inside of Kokawa Junko." I gasped when my name was mentioned, feeling Aizen's cold dark eyes on me. "You were Urahara's pet. You were sent to the Soul Society already knowing the name of your own Zanpakuto. You were better than the Sixth Years at the Academy in hakuda and kido. All of the other Taicho's were suspicious of where you learned everything, but I knew. You had Urahara's mannerisms within you.

"Urahara knew that the others would be suspicious of you when he sent you here, so he made sure we knew of your last name: Kokawa. You were the daughter of Kokawa Hayate, previous Taicho of the Tenth Division centuries before. While the other Taicho's didn't suspect you because of that, it drew my attention to you even more: Kokawa Hayate was good friends with Urahara Kisuke.

"However, your reiatsu levels weren't impressive. Even with the seal that Urahara had placed on you, I couldn't be sure if you held the Hogyoku within you or not. So, I observed you as the years passed. Sooner than I thought, you led me straight towards the real Hogyoku: it rested within Kuchiki Rukia."

Rukia gasped at Aizen's words, her violet eyes wider than I had ever seen them. How had it wound up inside of her? Rukia hadn't known Urahara until she came to the World of the Living…

"By the time I had discovered all of this, the two of you had gone missing in the real world. I knew intuitively…that this was all Urahara Kisuke's doing. A gigai is made up of high density spiritual matter and is used to temporarily contain a recovering Shinigami. Therefore, it is usually very easy for Soul Society to locate gigai. Yet they lost track of a Shinigami after she entered a gigai? That should be impossible. However, he developed a type of substance that did not contain spiritual matter, and because he created an untraceable gigai using that special substance, he was sentenced to exile.

"There was also another reason for his exile: that particular gigai caused the reiatsu of the Shinigami inside it to deteriorate. So the Shinigami that entered that gigai…could never recover their reiatsu. Their control over that gigai would become dull, and eventually they would lose all of their reiatsu. And then they would change from a Shinigami into a normal human spirit."

Aizen turned his attention towards Rukia, who he was still supporting by the red choker around her neck. "Don't you see? He wasn't trying to help you. He was actually making you human, so that he could hide his Hogyoku forever. Fortunately, you were discovered a few months later. I immediately went to the Forty-Six Chambers and…"

However, Aizen was cut short by a huge figure landing behind him. I coughed as the dust flew up, wincing as it caused pain to shoot down my back. Ankoku-Tatsu was still in the process of healing my wound…and dirt in it wouldn't speed up the process.

"AIZEN!" The gigantic Seventh Division Taicho screamed, his bucket helmet finally off of his face and exposing his wolfish characteristics. The Taicho swung his Zanpakuto down, causing me to let out a startled yelp of surprise as a huge gust of wind blew throughout the area.

When the dust cleared, everyone could see that Aizen was able to block the blade with one hand. "I haven't seen that for a while… Your face, that is. Did you have a change of heart of some sort, Komamura-Kun?"

"How…can you still laugh, Aizen..?!" Komamura-Taicho aimed another hit towards Aizen, but missed as well. "For your lies and betrayal of all of us, I shall give you no mercy! And you… Tousen! Do you have anything to say for yourself?!"

Quiet met everyone's ears.

"Nothing…at all? How disappointing…Tousen!" Komamura exclaimed, his reiatsu spiking. "Bankai..!"

Before his Bankai could release, Aizen disappeared from his line of vision and appeared right before him. Komamura didn't have enough time to react; he barely had enough time to move his eyes downward to stare at Aizen.

"Hado #90: Kurohitsugi." Aizen stated, performing a level ninety kido spell and skipping the complete incantation. {Kurohitsugi = Black Coffin}

Reiatsu spiraled around Aizen's hand, tainted a deep purplish black before it formed a large black box around Komamura. Black spears pierced the box, making everyone watching wince a bit as the spell deteriorated and revealed a seriously wounded Komamura-Taicho.

"Kyouka Suigetsu's 'complete hypnosis' is absolutely flawless. Even if the target is aware of its ability, they cannot resist its influence." Aizen smirked, apparently quite thrilled that he was able to take down Komamura-Taicho so quickly.

Ichimaru's grin stretched across his face. "Ya skipped the incantation for a spell at the ninetieth level! How scary~! When did ya become able to do that?"

"No, it failed." Aizen shook his head. "The power of that blast did not reach even one third of its full potential."

"I see. Spells in the ninety levels are more difficult 'ta handle after all." Ichimaru noted, happily handing Rukia back to Aizen.

Aizen smirked, turning back to Ichigo and me with a smile. "My apologies. I was in the middle of talking to you, wasn't I?

"So… Kuchiki Rukia, when I found you in the Human World, the first thing I did was assassinate the entire Forty-Six Chambers. You've probably heard something like this from Isane-Kun: 'Aizen Sosuke faked his death to move in secrecy, and then murdered the Forty-Six Chambers.' That was incorrect. I butchered the Forty-Six Chambers as soon as we found you, then I used Kyouka Suigetsu in the 'Central Underground Conference Room' to create the illusion of the Forty-Six Chambers holding a meeting, alive and well, so that even if someone intruded unexpectedly, they wouldn't notice anything wrong. However, without permission from someone on the inside, not even Taicho's may enter the conference room. To play the role of the Forty-Six Chambers…and giving out orders to achieve our goals. To ensure your capture, I assigned the task of your retrieval to those two in the Sixth Division. To keep you from becoming a human, I ordered the immediate destruction of that gigai, as to completely evaporate your soul…so that I could retrieve the Hogyoku inside you, I decided to use the Sokyoku for your execution.

"The only times that we left the conference room unguarded were the few hours before and after each of the two Taicho meetings. I have been in the conference room ever since I feigned my death because of the possibility of your group causing the execution to fail. There are two ways to extract a foreign object implanted into a spiritual body. One can either use an intensively heated and highly destructive force, like the Sokyoku, to evaporate the outer shell of the spirit, or… Use some sort of special procedure that causes the spiritual body structure to break down and thus create an opening. If the Sokyoku plan failed, I'd have to find another way."

Aizen pulled a small cylinder from the insides of his robes. "Therefore, I needed full access to the Great Hall of Records inside the conference room, where reports of important events in the Soul Society are kept. I carefully researched everything that Urahara Kisuke ever did, because implanting foreign objects into a spirit is a technique he invented. So naturally, the extraction procedure must also be hidden somewhere within his research records."

Activating the small cylinder, reiatsu flared around Aizen and Rukia. Before our eyes, six posts of sharpened dark green wood shot up from the ground, surrounding the two of them. The reiatsu from the cylinder even circled around Aizen's arm, seeming to cover it in the same dark green wooden substance.

"Yes. This is…that procedure."

Rukia was thrown into the air, Aizen's arm going completely through her chest. When I say going completely through, I mean completely through. You could see his hand protruding from her back.

It appeared like Aizen finally found what he was looking for, grasping something in his hand before he pulled his arm from her chest. Rukia fell to the ground, a large gaping hole in the center of her ribcage.

"What a surprise..!" Aizen murmured, staring down at the small orb in his right hand. "It is awfully small! So this is… Hogyoku…"

The small violet eyed woman continued to breathe, slightly leaning forward to show that the wound in the center of her chest was quickly closing and vanishing.

"Oh, the recipient is unharmed?! What an incredible technique this is..! Unfortunately, you are no longer of any use to me." Aizen said, placing the Hogyoku in his Shihakusho before pulling Rukia back off of the ground and holding her an arm's length away from his body. "Kill her, Gin."

"It can't be helped," Ichimaru shrugged, advancing towards the two of them as he drew his Zanpakuto. "Ikorose, Shinso!" {Shoot to kill, Sacred Spear}

Ichimaru's Zanpakuto instantly stretched like it was supposed to.

Before our eyes, there was a splash of crimson blood.


	55. Chapter Fifty-Four

• • •

"Ikorose, Shinso!" Ichimaru commanded, releasing his Zanpakuto into its Shikai. The small wakizashi stretched before you could even blink; the sound of blood splashing on the ground could be heard before anyone could actually see what had happened.

I left out a sigh of relief once I saw that Rukia was no longer in Aizen's grasp; Kuchiki-Taicho had shown up and taken the blow for her. Although, I had never seen the Taicho look so defeated. Ichigo must have really wounded him during their battle. Even Kuchiki-Taicho's kenseikan, the white hairpieces that symbolized him as a proud noble, were gone.

"Nii…Sama..!" Rukia gaped, staring up at her adoptive brother with wide eyes as he held her in his arms.

Ichimaru immediately withdrew his Zanpakuto, even more blood splattering all over the ground and dying it a twisted shade of crimson.

"Nii-Sama..!" Rukia exclaimed once more, eyes widening in shock as he seemed to collapse. She wasn't strong enough to hold him up, so they both sunk to the ground. "Nii-Sama?!"

Rukia's cries grew more frantic as Kuchiki-Taicho remained unresponsive, his breathing becoming more ragged. "Nii-Sama… Why… Why did you save me..?! Why… Nii-Sama? Nii-Sama…? Nii-Sama!"

Aizen turned around, his eyes landing on Kuchiki-Taicho's frail form. Rukia seemed to snap, instantly grabbing Kuchiki-Sama's head to her chest and cradling it. Aizen's hand traveled towards his Zanpakuto, only to freeze as two other people showed up.

"What a…nostalgic face!" The ex-Fifth Division Taicho noted as he smiled down at one of the two faces that held him in his place.

Yoruichi sternly looked up at him, her golden eyes narrowing. "Don't move. If you move even one muscle…"

"You'll lose your head." Soi-Fon-Taicho finished for her, shoving her Zanpakuto even closer to his neck to back up her words.

Aizen only smiled as his eyes traveled down below him. "Very well."

Almost immediately, large crashes were heard. Buildings below were being crushed, but not by normal Shinigami. These were giants…

"Impossible..!" Yoruichi exclaimed, "Even those three are traitors..!?"

"What will you do now? Not even you two can come after me while fighting all of them at the same time, can you?"

Yoruichi tisked, only for her retort to be cut off by a howling cry…

Jidanbou..! He was alright and was even going to fight the other giant Shinigami!

"Kukaku!" Yoruichi shouted in excitement, grinning.

The fireworks technician smiled back from her perch atop Jidanbou's shoulder. "Yo, Yoruichi! I got really bored, so I decided to drop by after taking a walk. So then, let's do it, Jidanbou!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Jidanbou nodded.

Shiba Kukaku managed to take one complete giant down by herself, using a kido spell of course. Jidanbou then jumped into the fray as well, fighting off the remaining two guards.

"Hya, what immense strength! What ever should I do?" Ichimaru questioned, throwing a hand back as he witnessed the brawl taking place below them. However, he wasn't expecting to have someone restrain his wrist and place their Zanpakuto against his throat.

Matsumoto tightened her hold on his wrist. "Don't move, please."

"Sorry, Aizen-Taicho." Ichimaru slyly called out. "She's got me."

"This is the end," Yoruichi pointed out.

Aizen blinked, looking down at the flash master. "What did you say?"

"Don't you sense it, Aizen? You have been…completely surrounded!"

True to her words, the rest of the Taicho and Fukutaicho of the Gotei Thirteen appeared, successfully surrounding Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tousen.

"It's over," Yoruichi announced. "Aizen."

The ex-Taicho only proceeded to laugh.

How was this situation funny? He was caught; completely surrounded. Unless…unless he had another trump card up his sleeve!

"What?" Yoruichi demanded, "What's so funny, Aizen?!"

"Yeah, sorry but…" Aizen smiled, "It's time."

Yoruichi's golden eyes widened, her mind racing through all of the things that could possibly happen. "Get away, Soi-Fon!"

Both women were barely able to get away from Aizen before a bright beam of golden light shot down from the sky and enveloped him. All eyes were trained on the sky, watching as the claw of a Menos Grande ripped through the sky, opening it up. The sky continued to rip, multiple Menos visible and staring down at us below.

"Menos Grande...!" The Taicho-tachi exclaimed, their eyes widening as the large Hollows' arms reached out from the crack, their heads soon following.

The Fukutaicho of the Second Division balked. "Gillian! Just how many of them are there?!"

"Wait… There seems to be something else in there!" Hisagi-Fukutaicho noted, his dark eyes widening as another larger eye became visible deep within the large crack.

Two smaller beams of light shot out, enveloping Ichimaru and Tousen as well. Luckily, both Hisagi-Fukutaicho (who was holding onto Tousen) and Matsumoto-Fukutaicho (who was holding onto Ichimaru) were able to get out of the way.

All three of the men seemed to begin levitating, each still standing on a large chunk of the earth.

"He's floating?!"

"Trying to run?!"

"You-!"

"Stop!" The Sotaicho commanded. "That beam of light is called 'negation.' The Menos use it to rescue their comrades. Once that light is cast, the area inside the light becomes a completely separate dimension and impenetrable from the outside. Everyone who has fought the Menos before knows this. From the moment that beam of light came down…Aizen has gone from our reach."

Komamura-Taicho was able to stand, a large hand colliding with the ground in his anger. He screamed out to Tousen, who had been his best friend. He couldn't understand why the blind man had betrayed everyone. But Tousen told him that he was choosing the path with the least bloodshed, which I didn't understand. Allying with Aizen would ensure bloodshed.

"To sink all the way to the level of allying with the Menos…" Ukitake-Taicho muttered, glaring up at Aizen. "What are you trying to do?"

"To go higher."

"Have you fallen in the process, Aizen..?!" Ukitake challenged.

Aizen only smirked. "You are too arrogant, Ukitake. No one starts…on the top of the world. Not you. Not me. Not even gods." He removed his glasses, shattering them in his grip. His other hand ran through his hair, pushing the wavy strands back. "But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over. From now on I will be sitting on it."

The new Aizen continued to rise, his dark eyes gleaming down at everyone.

"Goodbye, Shinigami. And goodbye, young Ryoka." He and the other two traitors were now in the clawed hands of the Menos. Aizen stared down at Ichigo for a second. "For a human…you really are interesting."

The large crack in the sky completely closed, sealing off all hopes of ever reaching the traitor for the moment.

• • •

"Jun-Chan, are you alright?!" Orihime gushed, eyes widening as they landed on me as I limped over towards her and the rest of the group. They were surrounding Ichigo; he wasn't able to move because of Aizen's injury.

Ankoku-Tatsu had pretty much healed my nerves, blood vessels, and injured muscles. It was still very tender, and in some spots it still bled a bit, but I was in good shape compared to everyone else that had been on the hill during Aizen's ambush.

"I'm fine…" I weakly laughed a bit, shrugging off her worried attitude. "My Zanpakuto spirit is in the process of healing me, so just focus on Ichigo, okay?"

"That's bull, Jun." The strawberry argued, his cinnamon eyes traveling to the tip of my right shoulder, where some of the injury could still be seen. "Let Orihime heal you; I can wait."

"Idiot," I scoffed, sitting myself down beside the glowing shield that surrounded the carrot top. "Didn't you hear me say that I'm in the process of being healed? I can wait. If I'm not in top shape by the time Orihime's done treating you, then I'll let her heal me. Deal?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed at me, but he didn't argue. "Fine, deal."

Laughing, I threw my head back and grinned. "I know you need Orihime to heal you if you don't even have the energy to argue with me. Rest up, you deserve it."

"Excuse us..!" A pair of voices chanted, gaining our attention. "We're here to provide any medical help that any of you may need!"

"There ya go, Jun. Let them heal you." Ichigo chuckled, cinnamon gaze boring into my own eyes. "Help's arrived, so you've got to take it."

"I do not!" I argued back, my eyebrows furrowing. "We're all fine over here!"

One of the timid Fourth Division members stepped forward, a slightly determined expression on her face. "Ma'am, you're injured. We can help heal you right away. If, for some reason, you do not want us healing your injuries, we can at least clean them and bandage them."

"Do it, Jun." Ichigo commanded, his eyes firm.

Sighing, I smacked my forehead with my left hand. "What's this? Gang up on Jun day? Fine! You guys win!"

One of the Fourth Division members stayed behind to help me, while the other ran off to help the other injured people. Huffing, I turned my back on her to let her get to work.

"Oh, my." She breathed out, "Um, I'm going to have to ask you to remove your kosode. I'll still be able to treat it with you in your shitagi."

Without a word, I pulled the kosode from my hakama and untied the sash that kept it closed. The Fourth Division member gently pried the bloodied top off of me, sitting it off to the side.

"That does look bad, Kokawa-San." Ishida observed, pushing his glasses up as his eyes observed my wound from behind his glasses. "I can see where it's already started healing, but it would have needed medical treatment anyway."

I shrugged my shoulders, wincing a bit as the movement tugged on the injured area. "Ankoku-Tatsu can usually heal my injuries. I don't think this one would've been an exception. Sometimes it takes a while but, in the end, it eventually is healed."

"Ankoku-Tatsu?" The archer questioned, looking a bit confused.

"My Zanpakuto spirit." I answered simply, resting my hand on the sheathed sword still hanging from my hip.

It was quiet for a couple of minutes, each of us consumed in our thoughts. But Orihime broke the silence as she looked around. "Is Kuchiki-San alright? She didn't get hurt any, did she?"

"Rukia's fine," I said, squirming a bit as the Fourth Division medic began placing bandages on my wounds. "She's over by Kuchiki-Taicho; he got hurt pretty badly."

"Yeah, Byakuya took Rukia's hit from Ichimaru." Ichigo said, angling his head so that he could look to see where Rukia was.

Currently, the dark haired woman was being held away from the injured Kuchiki-Taicho, who was having emergency surgery performed on him. Unohana-Taicho, however, allowed Rukia to sit by her brother's side.

"I…want to tell you something," Kuchiki-Taicho spoke, his voice sounding as weak as he looked. Everyone grew quiet at the words; even the Fourth Division members ceased their work to listen to the stoic Taicho speak.

Kuchiki Byakuya finally opened up to Rukia.

He told her everything.

Byakuya's wife, who had passed away years ago, was none other than Rukia's older sister: Hisana.

Hisana and Rukia were sent to one of the rougher districts of Rukongai, so she wasn't able to take care of the smaller child. Because of this, Hisana abandoned Rukia when she was still a baby. This act haunted her for years, forcing her to live in regret and search for Rukia almost every day.

As fate would have it, Hisana grew sick and frail. It was her last wish for Kuchiki-Sama to find Rukia and take her in as his sister.

He found Rukia just a year later, adopting her into the Kuchiki family.

That was breaking the rules, so he swore on his parent's graves that it would be his last time breaking the rules. He would uphold the law and defend the rules of the Soul Society.

"When you were sentenced to death… I was dumbfounded… The oath to my parents to follow and defend the rules, or…the promise to Hisana to protect her sister… Which one should I keep?" Kuchiki-Sama paused for a moment, his slate gray gaze drifting over to us Ryoka, landing mainly on Ichigo. "Kurosaki Ichigo… You have my gratitude."

A soft smile spread across Ichigo's face as his gaze drifted off to the clouds floating in the sky. Everything just seemed so serene and peaceful now, especially with Kuchiki-Sama's explanation of his thoughts.

Kuchiki-Sama raised one of his hands towards Rukia, letting her grasp it in-between her two smaller ones. "Rukia… I am sorry."


	56. Chapter Fifty-Five

• • •

"Jun-Kun's here~!" Yachiru cheered, instantly running over to my side and glomping me with all of the strength that she had. Even though she was small, she had more strength than you would imagine.

"Yes, yes." I nodded, before motioning down to the small stack of paperwork I had in my hands. "Ukitake-Taicho had me send this paperwork over; Thirteenth got it by mistake. I dunno who's in charge of the paperwork in Eleventh…but here you go."

"Aw~ that's no fun, Jun-Kun! You've been all work and no play recently! We've gotta have some fun together!"

Blinking, I sat the paperwork down on one of the desks in the office; it looked as if this room wasn't used very often. So what was Yachiru doing in here by herself?

"I guess I can have some fun with you. I've gotten everything done that Ukitake-Taicho wanted me too…well, the work that I volunteered for." I mused, bringing a finger to my lip as I thought before grinning down at Yachiru. "Okay! I'm up for a day of fun!"

"YAY!" The pink haired Fukutaicho cheered, jumping up and climbing up my back as her hands went around my neck. "Let's go sneak into Byakushi's house and eat all of the sweets!"

Laughing, I turned my head to the side so I could look up at Yachiru. "That sounds like a fun idea; only, Kuchiki-Sama is still in the Fourth Division recuperating. So nobody will really be there to catch us."

"That just makes it all the better! More sweets and we don't get caught in the end!" Yachiru reasoned, grinning. "Now, onward!"

• • •

"Kusajishi-Fukutaicho? Jun?" Rukia questioned, her large violet eyes blinking in curiosity as she watched the two of us stuff our faces with sweets.

Yachiru and I turned towards her with wide eyes as well; I'm sure we looked like deer caught in headlights. Both of our cheeks were puffed out making us resemble chipmunks and impeding our speech.

However, I managed to quickly chew the food and swallow before sheepishly grinning at my best friend. "Hey, Rukia! How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Rukia slowly said, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she looked at both of us once more. "But what are you two doing in the Manor and eating all of the food?"

"It's not all of the food!" Yachiru corrected, beaming up at her. "It's only the sweets! And that's 'cause Byakushi's house always has the best sweets!"

Sheepishly laughing, one of my hands rose up to scratch the back of my teased hair. "Sorry, Rukia, but could you keep this a secret? Kuchiki-Sama would get really mad if he knew we were here! But...wait? Shouldn't you be visiting him in the Fourth Division?"

"I just got back from there, actually. I was going to stop by the Manor and freshen up before I went somewhere else…"

"Oh, okay! Did you want me to go with you? 'Cause, according to Yachiru, today is my day of doing no work. I've got to relax for the rest of it." I offered, grinning at the started violet eyed woman.

Rukia sheepishly laughed, wringing her hands together. "No, that's quite alright. I was planning on going by myself, actually…"

"That's fine," I said, waving her nervousness off. "If you wanna go alone, then go alone. I guess I'll just go find Ichigo or Orihime; they're both heading back to the Real World soon."

"Aren't you going with them?" Rukia questioned, her eyebrows furrowing.

I bit my lip, adverting my gaze away from her. "I was planning on it, but I figured that it would be best to stay here for a little while longer. Soul Society is in chaos, and I feel like I need to earn Ukitake-Taicho's trust back. Besides, I'll be training a majority of the time I'm here, so I'll be strong enough to go back to Karakura."

"That's good; I'm staying here as well."

"What?!"

"Yes," Rukia nodded, sadly smiling. "I still haven't got my powers back, and Unohana-Taicho advised that I take my time… And if you're staying here as well, we can train together again. That way, when the time comes, we'll both be strong enough."

Grinning, I threw my arms around Rukia and pulled her into a hug. "That sounds good enough to me."

Laughing a bit as well, Rukia returned the hug.

"Well, I guess I'll have to tell everyone that I'm staying here soon…" I mused, pulling away from the hug and sharing a worried look with Rukia. "I don't think they'll take the news easily."

"I know, I've got to tell them as well." The violet eyed woman nodded, sighing to herself. "I was planning on telling them later today, because they're leaving tomorrow."

"Talk about waiting until the last minute, huh?" I teased, laughing. "Although you can say I'm the same way. I just finally made up my mind last night."

"You never change either, Jun." Rukia lightly laughed, shaking her head.

Grinning at her, I nodded. "Well, I'll be leaving. I'll take Yachiru with me as well, since we actually got caught this time."

"Aw~ no fair!" The small pink haired Fukutaicho whined around the food that she had stuffed in her mouth.

"Well, I'll let you take what you can carry with you. How's that?" I questioned, winking at her. Yachiru caught what I was implying, slyly grinning at me. "Let's go."

• • •

"Will Jun-Kun play with Ken-Chan when we get back?" Yachiru questioned, still munching on the bag of sweets that we napped from the Kuchiki Manor. Her dark pink eyes rose to meet mine as we walked back to the Eleventh Division.

Sheepishly shaking my head, I sighed. "I don't think so, Yachiru. That's not my kind of thing; I'm not that big of a fighter. That's why I'm not in the Eleventh Division."

"What if Ichi plays with Ken-Chan again? Will you watch?"

"Of course I'd watch, as long as I wasn't the one in the fight." I laughed, popping a piece of konpeito sugar candy in my mouth.

"Who would Jun-Kun root for?"

"Ichigo," I answered without skipping a beat, shoving another piece of candy in my mouth. "You'd cheer for Kenpachi, so Ichigo would need someone to cheer for him. It'd only be fair."

"'Cause Jun-Kun likes Ichi!" Yachiru sang at the top of her lungs, grinning up at me.

I flushed red, choking on the piece of candy in my mouth.

"Y-Yachiru! S-Stop it! That's not true!" I exclaimed, hastily bending down to cover her big mouth while sheepishly smiling at the passing Shinigami who were shooting us weird looks. "Sorry, she's just all hyped up on candy."

"That's not true! Jun-Kun likes Ichi!" Yachiru exclaimed, pushing my hand away from her face. Shooting a wide grin in my direction, she shot off like a firecracker. "I'm going to go tell Ichi, too!"

"Get back here, Yachiru!" I screamed, glaring at the pink haired menace as I chased after her. "Keep that trap of yours shut, you hear me?!"

Yachiru threw her head back and laughed, still managing to avoid my random grabs. Let me tell you one thing; she used that small stature to her advantage! I doubt even Yoruichi could catch her!

"Ichi!"

I balked, almost tripping over my own feet as Yachiru ran straight for the strawberry, which happened to be running straight towards us. Ichigo's cinnamon eyes widened as they landed on us, but he didn't stop.

The pink haired Fukutaicho launched herself towards him, only for him to dodge the attack at the last second. He was still barreling towards me, causing my own eyes to widen.

"If you don't slow down we're gonna crash!" I yelled at him, trying to slow down and not fall flat on my face. However, Ichigo just kept on running; in fact, it looked as if he started running even faster!

Just as we were about to collide, he shot an arm out and grabbed me around my waist and slung me over his shoulder.

"I-Ichigo! What was that for?!"

"Kenpachi!"

I looked up, seeing Kenpachi's approaching silhouette. He was gaining on us, but the man skidded to a halt once he saw Yachiru just standing there and eating her sweets.

"It looks like he stopped; he saw Yachiru!" I said, turning my head so that I was speaking into his ear so he could actually hear me.

"Have fun you two~!" Yachiru called out, widely waving at us from on top of Kenpachi's broad shoulder. I stuck my tongue out at her, only causing her to laugh even harder than she previously was.

• • •

"Ah, my feet hurt..!" Ichigo whined, stretching his muscles as bit as we walked side by side down one of the random streets in the Seireitei. Truthfully, I had no clue where we were. But I guess that's what I get for letting Ichigo sling me over his shoulder and just randomly run off.

"It's your fault! What were you doing? Teasing Kenpachi or something?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows as I straightened my Shihakusho up a little bit; it had become crooked from Ichigo carrying me the way he had.

"No! I was just sparring against Ikkaku when he came into the room and sliced my wooden sword in half!"

I laughed, shaking my head. "That's what you get for hanging around the Eleventh Division. Surely you didn't think you could spend all day there without Kenpachi bugging you for a rematch?"

"Maybe…" Ichigo muttered, rolling his eyes and lightly blushing a bit. "Oh crap… I left Zangetsu back in the Eleventh Division…"

"Zangetsu? Is that the name of your Zanpakuto?" I questioned, having noticed that he didn't have his sword slung across his back like he usually did. That wouldn't have made for a very comfortable ride.

"Yeah, I never told you his name, did I?" The strawberry questioned, sheepishly grinning down at me.

I shook my head, but smiled up at him none the less. "Nope, you didn't tell me a thing. But, it's not like you really had the chance to. We've been so busy lately; especially considering the fact that we were separated for most of our time here."

"Right," Ichigo nodded. "We've only had these few days to rest because it's taking them a while to fix the gate that'll send us back home."

"About that, Ichigo, I-"

"Kurosaki-Kun! Jun-Chan!"

Both of us looked up back at the sound of our names, curious as to what they wanted with us.

"What's up, Inoue?" Ichigo questioned, his eyes landing on the auburn haired princess.

I blinked, taking in her outfit. "Where did you get the change of clothes?"

"Sh…She's gone…" Orihime panted, bending over and placing her hands on her knees as she took big gulps of air in. Her face was flushed from her run, a sheen of sweat covering her face. "I can't find Kuchiki-San anywhere in the city!"

"Really?" I questioned, furrowing my brows. "I just talked to her earlier. She seemed fine then."

"Where did you run into her?" Ichigo questioned.

"Kuchiki Manor."

The strawberry arched and eyebrow at my answer. "Why were you there?"

Sheepishly laughing, I turned away from him and Orihime. "It was nothing-really!"

The two shared a look of disbelief before questioning me again.

"Did she mention where she was going, Jun-Chan?"

"Actually, she didn't. She told me that she was freshening up before she was going to head out again. I offered to come with her, but she brushed me off." I explained, feeling my eyebrows furrow. "Where do you think she could have gone?"

"One of two places." Ichigo answered, "C'mon!"

The strawberry took off running once more, leaving me and Orihime with no other choice; we had to follow him.

He was pretty fast when he was determined. And when he knew where he was headed, I'm guessing. Before I knew it, we were in front of the Fourth Division's healing quarters. Ichigo jumped up, grabbing onto a windowsill on the third floor.

Shaking my head, I sighed. "He gets really impatient, doesn't he?"

Orihime giggled, nodding.

I jumped up as well, holding onto the ledge of the window next to Ichigo. He and Renji were face to face, arguing about something.

"What do you want…? I was in the middle of saying something nice…" Renji growled, the vein on his forehead throbbing as he got even closer to Ichigo's face.

"My, my. What a compromising position." I observed, giggling as they jumped apart and blushed.

Ichigo seemed flustered, avoiding my gaze. "That's right… Uh, do you know where Rukia is?"

"Huh?" Renji questioned, a blank look crossing his face before he got back into Ichigo's face. "Why? Did something happen to her?"

"N-Never mind, if you don't know…" Ichigo stuttered a bit, pushing Renji's face away from his own.

I blinked, looking back and forth between the two of them. Shrugging my shoulders, feeling my left shoulder rub against Ichigo's right, I turned towards him. "Besides, don't you know it's dangerous to hang off of a third story building's window?"

"You're up here, too!" Ichigo exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at the teasing look on my face. "How did you get up here?!"

"The same way you did, duh."

"Che," Ichigo scoffed. "Sorry, Renji! Byakuya! We're outta here!"

"Yeah, sorry to bother you. Renji! Kuchiki-Sama!" I exclaimed, waving goodbye to them as we let go of the window and skillfully landed on the ground next to Orihime. "Well, that was a bust. Are you sure you know where Rukia's at?"

"I said that there were two places she could be!" Ichigo exclaimed, a bit flustered. "C'mon! I know where she must be if she's not in the Seireitei."

Ichigo took off again, running down the street like a mad man.

Orihime and I shared a look before shrugging and following after him once more. This kind of reminded me of the time we were chasing Chad around…except we had Orihime instead of Rukia and we were searching for Rukia instead of Chad.

"Junko! Ichigo! Orihime!"

All three of us blinked, sharing a look.

"Rangiku?" I asked, spotting the tipsy strawberry blonde Fukutaicho leaning out of a window in her Division.

"Yes, yes! Hey guys!" She cheered, waving a sake jug around. "Want to come join us?! We have some good sake!"

"Ah…" Ichigo hedged, "Maybe later..!"

"Yeah, I'll stop by later, Rangiku!" I called out, waving to her as we passed.

Orihime gaped at me, raising her arms to form a big 'X'. "We're all underage!"

"I have tea, too…" Rangiku muttered as we kept on running. "They're so cold…"

• • •

"Oi! I knew you would be here!" Ichigo called as we saw Rukia talking to Kukaku.

We had left the Seireitei, running all the way to Shiba Kukaku's house in the Western Rukongai district. I don't know how Ichigo knew Rukia was going to be here, but he was right for once.

Although if he was wrong, I'd make him carry me back to the Soul Society and until we actually had found Rukia.

"Ichigo…Jun…Inoue…"

"Looks like you're finished here, so… Let's go." Ichigo announced. "Tomorrow, they'll open the door to send us back to the Living World. You haven't completely recovered yet…so to prepare for tomorrow, you should rest!"

"Yes…about that, I have something to tell you…" Rukia murmured, her gaze drifting towards the grass blowing in the wind. Violet eyes rose, gazing deeply into rich cinnamon. "I've decided to stay in Soul Society."

Ichigo's eyes softened. "I see. That's good."

"Huh?" Rukia blinked, shocked.

The strawberry's hand rose, running his fingers through his hair. "Heh… Since you decided it for yourself… If you actually want to stay here, isn't that…a good thing?"

Rukia smiled, staring up at Ichigo.

Well, he seemed to take that better than we expected.

"You guys finally came! What the hell have you been doing?" Kukaku asked, shaking her fist towards us with a scowl.

I laughed, "Sorry we didn't drop by sooner, Kukaku."

"You're going home tomorrow? That's sudden." The fireworks technician noted, putting her hand on her hip as she gazed at our group. "Eat before you go. Everyone'll be glad to see 'ya!"

Ichigo blinked, an uncomfortable smile stretched across his lips. "Uh…well…but we…"

Kukaku scowled, punching him right in the nose. "You're one of them, too? Making me repeat myself over and over?"

"Uh, no, uh, we'll be pleased to accept your invitation, ma'am." Ichigo blubbered, holding onto his now bleeding nose.

"Yes, thank you very much, Kukaku." I agreed, stepping beside Ichigo and shoving his head down in a bow. I bowed as well, smiling up at the woman. "It'd be nice to spend some more time together before we have to part ways."


	57. Chapter Fifty-Six

• • •

When Shiba Kukaku promised a party, she promised a party.

Her entire dining room was full of people; many of whom we had never met before. However, it did raise the atmosphere by having so many cheerful people around.

We needed cheer now.

We had saved Rukia, but Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tousen escaped with the Hogyoku. That wasn't good; knowing Aizen, he must have already known what the small orb was capable of. He didn't seem like type to stay quiet for long. No, he seemed like the type to hurry and claim his reign over the Soul Society.

But, thoughts like these were lost amongst the chatter and banter among friends and strangers. Even Rukia seemed happier; she was smiling and laughing with the rest of us.

Yes, this was something we needed.

We needed to build nice memories together while we could.

"Can you believe the summer's passed so quickly?" Orihime asked, smiling as she watched Ichigo and Ganju force food down each other's throats.

I grinned as well, nodding. "I know. It seems like just the other day we were all stuck in class."

"I was really looking forward to having Kuchiki-San in our classes again, but I guess we'll just have to wait a bit, huh?" Orihime giggled, smiling at the petite dark haired Shinigami.

"Yeah, you'll have to wait a bit, Inoue." Rukia nodded, a small smile twitching on her lips. "But I'll be seeing you guys soon enough."

"And we'll all have to meet together, sharing stories." I added, grinning at the two. "We've already shared so many memories together; I can't wait for more to occur."

Orihime nodded, running her hands through her long mane of auburn hair. "Of course! We'll spend all the time we can together, creating memories. They're what last and keep us together, right?"

"Right," I sighed, smiling. "As long as we're in each other's memories, then we'll be in each other's hearts as well."

"That was very deep, Jun." Rukia noted, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Have you been reading old fortune cookies lately?"

Laughing, I shoved her shoulder. "No! That came from the heart! You guys are so mean!"

However, bad thoughts couldn't be kept away forever.

Heaving a sigh, I turned towards Rukia and Orihime once more. "Hey, I'm going to head outside for some fresh air. I'll see you guys later."

Rukia met my gaze, seeming to understand what I wanted; I wanted some time alone to think things through. Orihime nodded at me, grinning and telling me to come back soon.

Standing up, I rose to my feet and slunk out of the room while trying to avoid detection. I didn't want people to question why I was leaving; I wanted them to enjoy the party that I couldn't.

• • •

"Did you see that, Jun-?"

Ichigo blinked, looking around the mass of people for any sign of Junko. However, he didn't see her at all. When he focused, he also found that her reiatsu was long gone.

"Jun went out for some fresh air a couple of minutes ago," Rukia explained, looking up at the confused Substitute Shinigami. "She seemed a bit troubled, so it was probably best to let her go. She didn't want to put a damper on the party."

"Oh, really?" Ichigo questioned, scoffing before rolling his eyes. "Did she happen to say where she was going?"

"No," Rukia shook her head. "Jun just said that she would see us later and that she wanted some fresh air. That's all."

Ichigo sighed, running a hand through his orange locks. "Thanks, Rukia."

"Although, knowing Jun, she's probably back in the Thirteenth Division. There's a large pond there that Jun likes to sit by. That's where she goes to think."

"Thanks!" Ichigo smiled, his cinnamon eyes lighting up.

Rukia smirked, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched the orange haired man rush out of the 'party.'

"Both of them are so dense."

• • •

Grinning, I leaned over the pond that resided around the Ugendo Quarters, which was where Ukitake-Taicho recuperated after serious bouts of his illness. It was a very calming place, which is why I understood why Ukitake chose here to rest.

Ukitake knew that I often came here when I needed to think. He's caught me here many times; the most recent was when he told me about Rukia's disappearance. I haven't seen the pond since then…so you could say that I missed it. It was quite beautiful to watch the sun set reflect across the pond…but it was already too late; the stars and the moon now illuminated the sky.

I leaned back across my trusty maple tree, breathing in its scent.

To me, there wasn't a more peaceful place in the entire world. World of the Living included.

"…Found you!"

I jumped at the close sounding voice, my head whipping in the direction of the sound.

Ichigo stood there, a grin on his face. Wrapped around his arm was a glowing red ribbon. My reiryoku..?

Grinning up at the strawberry, I motioned for him to sit beside me. "Did you track me down using my reiryoku?"

"Yeah, you weren't difficult to find once I found your reiryoku." Ichigo nodded, letting the ribbon fade away once again. "Rukia told me that you'd probably be near a pond in your Division, but I didn't know the Thirteenth was so large. I gave up just searching for you not too long ago and settled for finding your spirit ribbon."

"I should have known Rukia would have told you."

"Why did you leave?"

Sighing, I crossed my arms and leaned further back against the tree trunk. I fidgeted a bit, trying to get comfortable. "I had some things on my mind. I needed to get away and think for a bit. And this is where I always go when I need to clear my mind."

"It does seem peaceful here," Ichigo nodded, resting his back against the large tree trunk as well. His eyes scanned the smooth surface of the pond, watching as ripples occasionally skidded across its surface.

"You should see a sunset here. It's even more beautiful; that's my favorite time to visit. But the stars are pretty, too." I chuckled, resting my head back against the wood and gazing up at the twinkling stars. "On nights when I couldn't sleep I'd either sit on the roof of the barracks or come over here. Eventually, I'd fall asleep sitting right here."

"That…doesn't sound safe." Ichigo muttered, a deadpan expression on his face.

I shrugged, adverting my gaze from the stars so I stared at Ichigo instead. "Ukitake-Taicho and Rukia knew where I was. If they ever wondered where I was, this is the first place they'd check. Besides, I always had my Zanpakuto with me in case something happened. I've always been able to take care of myself."

"You don't have to take care of yourself anymore. There are others who are willing to help, you know." Ichigo muttered, meeting my gaze for a second before looking away.

"I know, but it's still difficult." I shook my head, bringing my knees up to my chest so I could rest my chin on them. "It's hard letting people in, sometimes. I'm not used to being so close to so many people, but I do like it. It's just going to take some getting used to. Everyone has to get off of their high horse at some point in their life, right?"

Ichigo chuckled, sliding down and getting comfortable next to me. "I suppose so."

"Then…you wouldn't be mad when I said that I planned to stay on my high horse for a little bit longer?"

"What do you mean?" The strawberry asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he turned to look at me. "Jun?"

"I want to get stronger," I muttered, burying my face in my hakama pants to seek some comfort. "I spoke with Yoruichi, and she said that she would train me if I gave her a couple of days to relax and explain everything with Urahara. She wants to train me here. I told her it was fine."

"So…" Ichigo spoke, pausing to try and piece my words together. "You're staying here, in the Soul Society, too?"

My head rose of its own accord so I could stare directly into Ichigo eyes; it literally felt like my heart was being squeezed from the confused look he was giving me. "For a little bit longer, yeah."

"How much longer?"

"It shouldn't be too long, just long enough for Yoruichi to help me reach Bankai. I've already mastered getting Ankoku-Tatsu to visibly materialize…so I shouldn't be that much further away from getting it." I explained, and then tried to keep the conversation light. "I can't be falling behind you, now can I?"

Ichigo's lips twitched up into a smile. "That's right."

"Besides, if I stay here for a bit longer, I'll miss a few days of school. It's supposed to start up again soon, isn't it?"

"Yeah, as soon as we get back; I think…" Ichigo mumbled.

"I'll be back before you guys know it, though." I added, sheepishly grinning up at the strawberry. "And I'll be back and aggravating you before you know it."

Ichigo laughed, shaking his head. "I'll take your word for it."

"Good."

It was quiet for a few moments, each of us staring off into space. I didn't know where his thoughts were taking him, but I knew my mind was finally peaceful.

I felt a gentle tug, fingers running through my hair. My cheeks were probably tainted scarlet, but I still turned my eyes towards Ichigo to see why he was doing that.

"Oh, um…" Ichigo stuttered, quickly withdrawing his hand. "I was just remembering a conversation I had with Yoruichi… She said that she was shocked that you had let your hair get so long as to touch your shoulders… What did she mean by that?"

"Hm," I hummed, tilting my head to the side as I looked up at the blushing berry. "Well, it's simple really. Yoruichi knew me when I was younger; more specifically, she knew me when Urahara took me in. I had just been through the darkest years of my life, so I was really closed off. My parents were touchy subjects, but I remembered everything about them. I couldn't look into a mirror without remembering them… I looked just like Kaa-San, except for the eyes, those were Tou-Sans. Kaa-San always kept her hair really long, so I always kept mine trimmed short. I didn't want to see them when I looked into a mirror."

"But you've let it grow out now..?"

"Unintentionally, for the most part." I sadly smiled. "Time just seemed to pass by so quickly since I left for Karakura Town. Time passed, my hair grew a bit. I just never got around to trimming it. But… I also talked about my parents for the first time…to you. I guess that was the first start of moving on. Now, I don't think I mind having long or short hair."

"Yoruichi was right… You have changed a lot." Ichigo grinned.

Returning the grin, I chuckled a bit. "Yeah, but I think that it's all your fault. If you didn't take Rukia's powers, then I wouldn't have been sent to Karakura. If I wasn't sent to Karakura, I wouldn't have changed for the better."

Ichigo's grin stretched, pulling me closer to him as he ruffled my hair.

"Ichigo~!" I whined, struggling to get away. "Not the hair...!"

The strawberry only laughed, ruffling my hair a bit rougher for a split second before stopping and grinning down at me. Rolling my eyes, my hands flew up to my messed up hair.

"That's so not fair; you don't have hair that I can mess up!" I pouted, but an evil glint formed in my eyes. "But…that won't stop me from ruffling your hair!"

With the evil grin still stretched across my lips, I quickly rose to my knees and turned towards the unsuspecting strawberry. My hands quickly flew out to meet his hair, ruffling the soft tangerine locks.

"O-Oi..! Stop it!"

"Never!" I laughed, "It's called payback, you strawberry!"

Cinnamon eyes narrowed dangerously at me, but I didn't take much heed; he deserved this for all the times he'd ruffled my hair! But before I could blink, Ichigo's hands had circled around my wrists. Tugging me forward, I fell into his chest with my wrists trapped in his grip.

"That's not fair, Ichi-" I paused, my eyes widening once I realized how close Ichigo and I were once I lifted my head from his chest. We were almost eye to eye; I could even feel the tip of my nose brush against his nose. Our lips were mere centimeters apart. "…go…"

I could feel my heart rate speed up, the small organ thumping loudly against my ribcage and echoing in my ears. Not only that, but I could feel my breathing speed up and hitch. Ichigo's warm cinnamon eyes were closer than ever, displaying an emotion that I had never seen play across his face. His gaze lowered for a few seconds, to my lips, before meeting my gaze once more.

My eyelids felt heavy, close to fluttering shut. The strawberry's eyelids were already partially closed as well, our gazes not really on one another for a moment; no, we were too focused on how close our lips were, and how much closer they got with each passing moment.

Ichigo's lips grazed shyly against my own, making my breath hitch in my throat once more. Just when he released my wrists and began to back away, I pushed myself closer to him. My hands re-tangled themselves in his hair again, nails lightly dragging across his scalp and enticing a quiet groan from him. As our lips continued to move against each other's, one of his hands wrapped around my waist while the other stroked up and down my spine. I shivered in pleasure at his touch, pressing myself closer to his chest.

When we pulled away for air, my eyes fluttered open and met Ichigo's dark cinnamon tinted eyes.

Biting my lip out of nervousness couldn't stop the upward twitches my lips were jerking in. "Well…that was unexpected."

"…Very." Ichigo breathed out, closing his eyes to try and gain some control over his emotions.

"I don't regret it." I idly mentioned, looking up at his face. "I mean it."

Scowl gone for once, Ichigo's lips twitched into a smirk. "Well, that's good to know."

Chuckling, I shook my head in exasperation. I dropped my hands from his hair, turning around on his lap and leaning back against his chest. Before he could speak, I took his hands in my own, resting them on my stomach as I tilted my head to look up at the stars.

"Ichigo," I started, as I adverted my gaze from the dark sky to look at him for a second. "I'm glad we got to spend a bit more time together before you guys leave tomorrow. This was definItely memorable…"

"You did want to make memories, didn't you?" Ichigo questioned, leaning down a bit so that his lips brushed against the shell of my ear as he spoke. Shivers cascaded down my spine each time his lips made contact; I could tell his lips had twitched into a smirk as he talked. Wrapping his arms tighter around my midsection, he chuckled a bit. "Maybe this'll give you more incentive to hurry home."

"Yeah, I think it will."


	58. Chapter Fifty-Seven

• • •

Bright and early the next morning the Senkaimon was officially ready. Ichigo and the group were gathered around the rather large gate, staring up at in in awe.

I had explained to the group a bit earlier that I wasn't going to be accompanying them back to the World of the Living. Orihime didn't understand at first, so I had to explain why a few more times. Eventually she got that I wasn't going with them, so she wasn't as loud and carefree as she usually was right about now.

However, we did come up with a nice excuse for them to tell others when they asked where I was: I had gone to visit my family and friends overseas, but they had kept me a bit longer than I would have liked. I'd be back in Karakura soon, so hopefully they'd buy that lie.

"This is the official Senkaimon. We have also installed the spiritron converter especially for you." Ukitake-Taicho explained to the group. He smiled at them for a second, before a light seemed to go off above his head. While he waved Ichigo over to him, Rukia and I said our final goodbyes to the others.

"It'll be so weird without you guys around," I noted, sadly smiling up at the three people I considered myself close friends with. Well, only two of them were friends; the other was family.

"No, it'll be weird without you around!" Orihime dejectedly sighed, trying to make me feel bad and guilt me into coming back with them.

Weakly chuckling, I shook my head. "It'll only be for a little bit, Orihime. Maybe a few weeks, a month or two at the most."

The auburn haired princess's lips pulled downwards; was this really the first time I'd seen her frown? I know she worried about everyone, Ichigo especially, but I wouldn't count those looks as true frowns.

Releasing a heavy sigh, I pulled Orihime into a hug. It wasn't often that I hugged people, but this was one of my exceptions.

"P-Please come back soon, Jun-Chan..!" Orihime gushed, sounding like she could be crying as I hugged her. Her body shook with sobs, making me tighten my arms around her. "Soon…"

"I'll try," I murmured. "I'll be back before you know it; causing mischief and being a smart ass like usual."

Quietly chuckling, Orihime broke away from the hug and smiled down at me. "I'll look forward to it then."

"Good." I nodded, grinning up at her. I then turned toward the other two guys, eyeing them down. "I know you two aren't hug type people, so I'll spare the hugs. But I want you two to know that it won't be the same without either of you, too. Like it or not, you've both grown on me."

"Mm," Chad hummed in agreement, nodding his head and making his curly chocolate locks bounce with the movement. "You too."

Ishida slightly nodded, pushing his glasses up a bit and making them glint in the light. "You better come back soon; my Father would be quite upset if he found out that you were going to stay here. I think he liked the idea of you staying in Karakura."

"Really?" I blinked, feeling my eyebrows furrow. "I only had talked to him once…"

"Just come back safely, Kokawa-San." The archer stated, rolling his eyes behind his glasses.

"Thanks, Ishida." I rolled my eyes as well, although a smile shone through on my face; this was probably one of the most civil conversations I'd had with the archer.

"So, you take care of yourself too, Kuchiki-San." Ishida said, turning to face the dark haired Shinigami by my side.

Rukia's violet eyes softened, her eyes roaming the small group. "Yes. Chad, Ishida, and Inoue… Take care, too."

"Ah! I almost forgot!" Orihime exclaimed, her eyes widening as she pulled out a sundress from somewhere behind her. "This is what Ishida-Kun made for Kuchiki-San!"  
"Ah?" Rukia blinked, speechless, as the auburn haired woman shoved the white and pale blue sundress into her arms. Looking down at the dress, Rukia's brows furrowed. "Wha-?"

Orihime was face to face with the petite Shinigami. "T…Take good care of it!"

"Huh?" Violet eyes widened at how close the auburn haired woman had gotten and at how strange she was acting; well, stranger than usual. "O…Okay…"

I grinned at the interaction between the two women; at least it looked like Rukia had gained a friend out of all of this, too. She usually takes a long time to open up, seeing as how I learned that the hard way. But we were more alike back then.

My gaze traveled over the group once more, taking in their appearances. Who knew when I'd get to see them again? However, I saw a shock of bright orange hair in my peripheral vision. Turning my gaze towards it, I saw Ichigo motioning for me to come over to him.

"You didn't think I'd let you go without saying a goodbye, did ya?" The strawberry questioned once I got closer, the grin on his face contagious.

Placing a finger to my chin in mock thought, I hummed for a second. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't."

"Che," Ichigo scoffed, rolling his eyes before a wicked grin stretched across his lips. His right hand darted out, ruffling my hair once more.

"Ichigo..!" I screeched, wincing a bit at the thought of how wild my hair was going to look. Both of my hands shot up into my hair, circling around his wrist and pulling it down. Grinning as I stared up into those bright cinnamon eyes, I chuckled a bit. "Remember what happened last time you did that?"

The strawberry sputtered for a few seconds, his cheeks darkening to a bright red as his eyes darted around to the others that were watching us from a few feet away. "Y-You wouldn't…"

"Oh, I think I would. It'd be a nice punishment."

"J-Jun…!"

Throwing my head back, I laughed. "It's just too easy to tease you, Ichigo!"

"Shut up!" The strawberry glowered, turning his head to the side to try and hide the blush that was still prominent on his cheeks.

My smile faded after a few seconds of silence. It had finally sunk in my brain that Ichigo would be leaving with the others. It'd be weeks, possibly months, before I'd be able to see him again. That is, if I was allowed to see them again.

"Jun?"

I blinked, feeling my eyes burn a bit.

No, I wasn't going to let myself cry. Shaking my head a bit, I bit my lip as I quickly wrapped my arms around Ichigo's chest, burying my face in the black material of his Shihakusho. "Thank you, Ichigo. For everything."

Ichigo stiffened for a second in my arms, but he soon relaxed in my grasp. His arms wound around me, fully encasing me in a protective embrace; it was the most secure that I'd felt in a long time.

Resting his head atop of my own, he sighed. "Idiot; you don't need to thank me."

Sadly chuckling, I nodded into his chest. He might have thought that I didn't need to thank him, but he was so wrong. I didn't want to think of what my life would be like if Ichigo hadn't wormed his way into it. Rather he knew this or not, he had taken down a large portion of the walls that I had built throughout the years. "Thanks, Ichigo."

The strawberry tightened his grip on me, sighing once more. I felt his lips brush against my forehead as he brought his head back up and broke the embrace. "I thought I said that you didn't need to thank me."

"You're the idiot," I rolled my eyes, bringing my hand up to wipe away the tears that had accumulated in the corners of my eyes. "I don't thank people often, so you should etch this moment into your memory; it probably won't happen again."

Ichigo laughed once, rolling his eyes. However, his gaze soon traveled down to my hand. His right hand reached out and grabbed my left, keeping his grip loose enough for me to lace our fingers together. Looking down at the size difference of our hands, Ichigo's gaze softened. "Come home soon, Jun."

"Don't worry." I breathed, giving his hand a light squeeze. "I'll be home sooner than you think."

"You better be."

Laughing at his words, I rolled my eyes. "I will be, and I don't go back on my words. Remember? Besides, I feel bad hogging you! You haven't even said goodbye to Rukia yet!" I raised my right hand, swiftly colliding it with the back of Ichigo's orange head.

The strawberry winced, his left hang rising to rub the spot. "Ouch! Alright, alright! No need to hit!"

"Then come on; I'm not going to let you go without saying bye to Rukia!"

Laughing, and with our hands still connected, I drug the strawberry towards the rest of the group. I could feel the gaze of the other Shinigami that had come to see them off on us, but I didn't care.

"Rukia! You've got one more goodbye to say!" I shouted, gaining the violet eyed Shinigami's attention.

Smiling at us, Rukia laughed a little bit.

"See ya…Rukia." Ichigo said, a soft smile stretching across his face as he stared down at the petite dark haired woman.

"Yeah…" Rukia nodded, "Thank you, Ichigo."

The Senkaimon opened right then, gaining everyone's attention. Orihime, Chad, and Ishida turned towards the gate, beginning to walk through. Ichigo's cinnamon gaze landed on me for a split second, giving our intertwined hands one last squeeze before his grip loosed. I let him run towards the gate, disappearing into the light.

Rukia approached me, her quiet footsteps going unheard. I only realized she was next to me when she grabbed my hand, her gaze on the closing Senkaimon.

A soft smile was on my face, similar to the smiles on everyone else's face as well. There was a better turn out than I had expected. Many more people had shown up here than the ones that had shown up to Rukia's execution. But that's just how it was; they were seeing the ones that helped save the Soul Society off.

Once the gate was finally shut, Rukia turned towards me. "I have a feeling that we'll see them again very soon."

"I know; I have that feeling, too." I whispered, softly smiling as my gaze traveled upwards to the bright blue sky.

Perhaps all of the darker chapters of my life had passed, leaving me basking in the brighter, happier days. I was content with my life; somewhere, deep inside of me, I knew I wouldn't trade anything for this. I was finally happy with where I was in life. I was happy with myself, mainly.

Even if I could erase those darker chapters in my life, I don't know if I would. Everything always happens for a reason.

For now, I'm going to keep those dark chapters closed; putting a lock around the book and throwing away the key. I'm going to focus on writing out my own future. Looking back on the murky past will only dampen ones outlook on the prospects on the future.

Those were the words I was going to live by:

Don't ever look back.

• • •

○[part one; end!]•

 **+〘** agent of the shinigami arc〙

 **+〘** soul society arc〙

• • •


End file.
